Ancient Feuds
by MindlessCorpse
Summary: As fate would have it, Van captures Hitomi in exchange for Merle's life. But something went wrong. Something interfered. A forged tie between Hitomi and another girl results in chaos. Now, a brave SOLDIER must make a sacrifice for Hitomi. VH?
1. Frustrations

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Escaflowne or its characters. Escaflowne is the property of Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment. I'm just an innocent person who happened to write a fanfic on Escaflowne.

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**Attention:** I have come to the conclusion that the first chapter is ridiculously lame and . . . just extremely, utterly stupid—well, the beginning of chapter is. Therefore, the prologue and chapter has been re-edited and will be very different from the original, although some parts will remain the same. I think you will agree with me that the revision is much better. Well, have yourself a fantabulous day. Thank You!

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**Ancient Feuds**

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**Prologue**

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A tall, silvery blue haired man glanced up from his lab desk to find his assistant, Naria, standing before him. She seemed somewhat uncomfortable to be in his present. He frowned slightly to himself. He hadn't done anything to conjure that sort of atmosphere. Perhaps it was the black cloak he always wore, or his artificial arm. What ever it was, he was sure it was the latter.

"What is it?" he asked in a low voice.

Naria cleared her throat. "Dilandau wishes to speak with you, sir. He says it is urgent."

"Let him in," he said after a pause. This had better be good. Dilandau was known for making useless conversation, wasting precious time.

When Dilandau came in, he made himself comfortable in the seat before the desk and took an unusual interest in staring at the vial fluids. Dilandau had information that even the man sitting before him would find interesting. Dilandau brushed back a stray hair and leaned back into the chair. The blue haired man eyed him warily.

"What is so urgent, Dilandau."

"What? No 'Hi?'" exclaimed Dilandau in a mock hurt voice. He smirked.

The blue haired man gave him a reprimanding look. "Get to the point before I have you thrown from my lab."

Dilandau laughed lightly to himself as his red eyes flickered in the light. "I see you haven't changed, _Folken_."

"You were just in here yesterday, Dilandau. I do not imagine it possible for me to change so quickly."

"Well getting to the point, I have a little something you might like. You've been eyeing it for quite a while now. I'm sure you won't be disappointed."

Folken raised an eyebrow as his heart began to beat slightly faster, but he braced himself. "And what might that be?"

Dilandau carefully took out a photograph from a pocket inside his coat and slyly slid it across the desk to Folken. He watched Folken's expression fall from stern to slightly shocked. Dilandau grinned inwardly. "What do you think?"

"I didn't think you could do it. Now bring it to me."

Dilandau half snorted. "_It?_ That's a little harsh, don't you think?"

"Just go! This should convince my little brother," Folken commanded, growing irritated at Dilandau's seemingly useless remarks. After he left, Folken stared at the picture again. He had his reasons for calling it "it." Reasons that better suited him than any other.

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**Chapter 1**

**Frustrations**

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Hitomi edged toward a fruit stall and was about to pick up a plum when everyone began to blabber about something. She followed the noise and found the reason. There was a tremulous commotion outside the seaside inn. A flock of town folks had clustered around a fresh scroll posted on the wall. Hitomi stopped in mid-stride as she went on her tiptoes to see over the heads of the townspeople at the prints on the scroll. She saw a few words about a $10,000 reward for a certain person before a giant of a man rudely stepped in front of her, blocking her entire view of the scroll. She bit back the urge to violently shove him aside.

Hitomi returned to her grocery shopping. Luckily the stalls were now nearly free of shoppers. She piled the necessities into her basket.

"Good morning, Hitomi," greeted Allen and Millerna as they approached her.

"Good morning, you two," she returned.

"What is all this commotion about?" asked Millerna as she glanced at the crowd.

Hitomi shrugged. "It's a reward for capturing someone. $10,000, I think."

Allen raised an eyebrow. "That someone must be worth a lot."

"Yea," agreed Millerna. "You know, Allen, you could use that money."

"Well . . . I shall wait until the crowd disperses. I don't see how it could take so long just to look at that piece of paper."

Hitomi gave him a look. "It's not as if they're all educated. Some can't read."

"And I'm assuming you're one of them?" he said good-naturedly.

"Suck my toes," she shot back.

Millerna laughed, sounding like a harmonious chime. They stopped at a fortune telling tent. Millerna wanted to have her fortune told. Hitomi and Allen stayed outside, much to Millerna's sheer delight. She said something about outside forces mingling with her internal spirit which was hazardous to her fortune and the fortuneteller's talented gift. Hitomi and Allen decided to wait under the shade of a tree for her, watching people walk past them. From some where behind them, someone gave a loud, explosive fart. Hitomi's face crinkled from the destructive stench and hurried away from the smell. Allen let out a howl of laughter before following in her wake.

Allen made a face, though his eyes laughed. "Must have been a hearty breakfast. I wonder how long it'll last."

"I have no idea nor do I care." She hurried away to a much safer location.

Allen joined her, hands clasped behind his back. "Perhaps, then, would you care to engage in a duel with me?" he asked in a teasing manner.

She flashed him a smile. "Of course."

They entered the forest of Asturia and continued until they reached a grassy clearing. Hitomi caught the lingering scents of musk and lavender in the air. The aroma danced under her nose and was whisked away by a light gust of wind. The scent of roses and lilies replaced the previous until they, too, were carried away. With her eyes locked with Allen's, Hitomi slowly drew her sword from its sheath and dragged the tip of the sword in an arc across the patch of grass in front of her. The sound it made was music to her ears. From the corner of her eyes, she watched as Allen did the same.

"Ready?" he asked as she formed her stance, sword in position.

"I've never been as ready in my life," was her reply.

"Let us begin, then."

Allen raised his sword and swung it but then changed its position. Hitomi reacted quickly to the sudden repositioning and changed her grip on the hilt. Their two swords made contact, making a silvery clang that sent chills down her spine. Hitomi blocked several other attacks, much to Allen's delight. "I see you've been practicing and learning...from someone other than me."

Hitomi jerked. "Is it that obvious? Millerna swore you wouldn't notice."

"She did, did she? It's hard not to notice when you pulled a move I never taught you. However, I don't mind that Millerna's teaching you as well. She's quite a skilled sword fighter," he remarked before swinging his sword. After Hitomi blocked, he challenged, "Now attack me."

Hitomi brought her sword down on Allen, who easily blocked it. Several times he blocked her attacks. She hated the fact that he made it look so effortless. An idea came to her and she decided to do a combo. First she attacked his left and quickly moved to his right and then swung swiftly diagonally down his left. She sensed the surprise in Allen, though he managed to block those three attacks. She used that moment to bring her blade up. Allen recovered and blocked that attack as well, barely missing his shoulder.

"How'd I do?" Hitomi chirped brightly. Both of her hands were placed on her hips and a grin was plastered on her face.

He laughed softly. "Not bad, but you could do better."

Hitomi glared at him.

Allen laughed again, his clear blue eyes twinkling. "If it makes you feel any better, you did get me with that combo. Where'd you learn it anyway?"

"From you. I saw you pull it on Gaddes and tried it myself. I'm surprised you didn't know." Hitomi sheathed her sword and lay outstretched on the grass. Her heart was beating rapidly. A light sweat broke across her forehead. Her eyes flickered to the dark, scattered clouds in the sky. It was going to rain later she concluded.

Allen sat down and leaned against a trunk. "I'll teach you a combo later . . . that is if you can. It takes great skills and concentration to understand it."

Hitomi turned her head to face him. "What are you trying to say?"

"What do you _think_ I'm trying to say?" he asked slyly. Suddenly his form became rigid. His mouth parted. Hitomi was startled at this abrupt change in him. Then, with his eyes glued on something in the distance, Allen uttered, "Van . . . "

Hitomi jumped to her feet and spun towards the direction that Allen was staring at. It was then that she saw Van's unmistakably unruly black hair as he ran towards them. It was as if he was gliding—no, more like flying—and more strangely, his sword was not drawn.

_What the heck is he trying to pull?_ She was about to draw hers when Allen pushed her back, his already in a ready position. "Go. Call the others. I'll try to hold him off."

Before Allen finished his sentence, Hitomi had already gone to get the other men. Fortunately, she found them nearby. She quickly spotted Gaddes. "Gaddes! Allen needs your help. Bring your men. Hurry and follow me."

When they all reached the clearing, Allen was down on one knee and his sword was raised in defense against Van's. Allen was slowly succumbing to Van's strength. Hitomi noticed that Allen's arm was bleeding. Gaddes attempted to save his captain by slashing Van from behind, but was immediately kicked down. He groaned in pain.

Allen made a comeback only to be blocked by Van once again. Hitomi decided it was time to interfere. As she ran towards them, Allen shouted, "No! Go back, Hitomi. Get away from here as fast as you can!"

But his words registered her brain a few seconds too late. A few seconds was all it took for Van to knock Allen down and catch her before her brain catalyzed a reaction. She squirmed and jabbed him in the side with the point of her sheath. Van let Hitomi go from shock at the jolt of pain. She ran without looking back and when she sensed that Van had not followed her, she stopped and then turned around, which turned out to be a huge mistake.

She watched in utter horror fascination as Van arched his back, obviously in some sort of pain. For a mere moment nothing happened. Then, with a cry of pain, blood spurted from each shoulder blade. Hitomi flinched and what she saw next was either the most beautiful or the most horrifying thing she ever saw. A pair of massive white wings sprouted from Van's back as he threw his arms and head back. His shirt lay shredded on the grass and loose feathers floated aimlessly about him. Hitomi gasped.

_The legendary Draconian._

The muscles on Van's upper body rippled as his wings began to flap with the power of a tornado. He faced her now, his eyes fixed on hers. Coming back to her senses, Hitomi began to run again. All around her arrows flew mightily through the air. Van's wings expertly swept the arrows away from him. He rose elegantly off the ground and he would have looked like an angel except for the fact that he was made of flesh and blood.

Almost too quickly for her to even realize it, Van captured her and this time his grip on her was iron strong. He began to fly higher and higher. Hitomi wrestled in his arms and frantically made an effort to pry his fingers from her waist, but to no avail. She swung her legs back, hoping to kick him brutally in the shin and cause him to fall lower to the ground.

"Do you want to die?" Van asked harshly. Hitomi stopped moving. "That's what I thought. I would gladly drop you to your death should you move again."

From below her on the ground were Allen and his men. They were still shooting arrows. Allen was shouting something at her but she was too far up to hear any of it. Suddenly, Van faltered in his flight. Hitomi looked down to see that an arrow had pierced his side. A trail of dark red blood had begun to trickle down his waist. Oddly enough, it gave her a sense of satisfaction that he got hurt for kidnapping her.

_He deserves it,_ she thought triumphantly.

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Millerna dabbed the wound on Allen's arm with an herb ointment. He winced but did not make a sound. The wound was not too deep and was not going to leave a scar. But Allen was suffering from another type of pain.

He blamed himself for not being able to protect Hitomi, whom he saw as the younger sister he had lost. A painful memory flitted across his mind. It was an image of the last time he saw his actual sister, Celena. It was so long ago but he could still see it as if he was experiencing it at the very moment. They were both so young at them time . . . so young.

"_Allen, it's no use," said Celena in a soft, sad voice._

_He grabbed her hands in an attempt to keep her from leaving. He was eleven then and she was 10 but she had a sort of maturity he found startling. "What's going to happen to you? You can't just leave like this!"_

_She tugged at her captured hands. "I have to. It's the only way for me to get better. Please, Allen, let me go." Even as she uttered this, a tiny stream of tears found its way down her cheek._

"_What if it doesn't work?"_

"_It has to!" she said angrily, unnaturally shrill. She continued in a calmer voice. "I don't like this any more than you do but, it's for the best."_

_Their mother stood forlornly against the stair railing. Allen could see that she was trying hard not to let them see her cry but he knew better. She had her arms wrapped around herself. If he only knew how to comfort his dear mother. He turned his attention back to Celena._

"_I have something for you," he said after hesitating. "Wait right here."_

_He ran up to his room and hastily cut out a picture of her and himself and stuck each of the pictures into one side of the gold locket that his mother had given him. He hastily went back to Celena and placed the locket into her small hands and closed her fingers over it._

_He swallowed down his tears. "Keep it always with you so you don't forget, okay? When you're afraid just look at our picture and the fear will go away. Promise me."_

_She nodded and reached behind her neck and unclasped the hook of her own locket. Then she cut a lock of her glossy honey curls and placed it inside the locket. "Here. This is for you to remember me by and don't you dare lose it!"_

_He let out a cheerless laugh. "I won't."_

_A tall man came into the house and without a word, picked up Celena's suitcases. He left to put them into the car. Allen felt a wave of despair and loss wash over him._ _Without warning, their mother ran towards Celena and held her in a tight embrace. She was kneeling and sobbing loudly into her hair. "Celena, my precious little one, be brave for me . . . for all of us. And be a good girl, okay? Mommy loves you very much. Don't cry, Celena."_

_Allen watched with a heavy heart as his mother continued to cry. _I'll be strong for Mother and Celena and I won't let anything hurt them,_ he solemnly swore to himself. He embraced them both, letting his own tears mingle with theirs. His pride and dignity as a male didn't matter then._

_Almost too soon, the man came back. He stood majestically in front of them and scanned the seen before him. With a distracted sigh, he said, "It's time, Celena."_

_Allen's eyes widened in panic. It was too soon. He needed more time with his little sister. He was about to say something to her when he saw that she was staring intently at him._ _Finally she gave him a small smile. "I have to go now, Allen."_

"_No. Don't go," he said pitifully. "I—we need you. Mother needs you."_

"_I can't," she said quietly. She gave him a long hug and when she let go, he squeezed her little hands. She squeezed back. There was a look of yearning in her eyes now. She inhaled deeply and smiled unsteadily one last time. "Goodbye, Mommy . . . Allen," she whispered._

_The man held out a hand for her to take and they headed out the door. Allen ran towards them._

"_When will you come back?" he asked her in a trembling voice._

"_I don't know," she replied softly. She looked back at the both of them for some time before turning. Allen heard her utter a stifled cry._

_By the doorway, with his mother standing behind, he watched as his sister climbed into the black limo. Before a minute had passed, the car had driven off into the distance._

That was the last time he ever heard of her and the last time he ever saw her. The pain from his injury brought him back to reality. He smiled gratefully at Millerna for tending to his cut. "Thank you."

She inclined her head, acknowledging his gratitude. "There you go. Your arm should be back to normal in no time. Allen . . . how are we going to get Hitomi back?"

"I don't know."

"What does he want with her? What does he think he'll gain?"

"I don't know."

"I fear for her safety. That Van is capable of anything—what if . . ." Millerna trailed off as she thought of all the possibilities that could happen.

Allen looked up. "You don't know him like I do. If only Hitomi had known. It was right there but she did not see it. I could have barged through that crowd but instead, I chose to wait. My actions have endangered her."

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Van grunted as he felt the burn of wound on his side. He needed to rest some where before he died from blood loss. The girl in his arms had finally stopped squirming much to his convenience. Before long, he came upon a sheltered clearing at the top of a mountain. He decided that it would have to do.

Hitomi, having nothing better to do, examined the gash between Vans ribs. She shuddered seeing that the arrow was still embedded there. Most of the blood had dried but some was still pouring from the gash. She wondered whether it hurt him and then immediately scolded herself for thinking that. Why should she care whether he was hurt or not?

"Where are you taking me?" she demanded.

"You'll see," was his vague reply.

"Tell me now—_ooph._" He had dropped her on a patch of grass. "You didn't have to toss me like a dead animal."

She watched as his wings disappeared. There were two red welts in place of the wings and pretty soon they too were gone. He rolled his shoulders a few times.

"What?" he growled.

She just glared back. "Why did you take me? I demand an explanation right now."

He returned her look. "Do you mind? Your hideous voice is grinding my nerves and I can't hear what I'm thinking. Why don't you go somewhere else and leave me alone. I have better things to do than answer your questions."

"I can't because I don't know where to go," she retorted defiantly.

Van closed his eyes and opened them a second later. Then he got up on his feet and seized her arm. He led her to a spot somewhat far from him but still close enough to keep an eye on and left her there. "There, you will stay here and keep your mouth shut."

He returned to his original spot. He closed his hands around the arrow and with his teeth clenched, slowly eased the arrow out from his body. The agonizing pain must have been unbearable. When he was done, he was panting a little. He threw the arrow aside and went in search of glarl leaves. When he came back he flung a handful of the leaves on Hitomi's lap.

"Grind those up until they're pasty."

Hitomi scowled at him. "No."

He gripped her wrist so hard a small whimper came from her mouth. He yanked her up to his level. "You will do it. I am your benevolent guardian. I alone have the power to kill you right now, to torture you, or to leave you here all by yourself. Do I hear an agreement?"

"Yes," she said through gritted teeth. She jerked her hand out of his grasp. Furiously, she forcefully ground the leaves with a rock she found nearby all the while muttering obscene curses under her breath.

Van had gone to look for a source of water to clean out his injury. This would've been the perfect chance for her to escape if she had not been stranded on a cliff. She had no idea where she was. If she _was_ going to try to run away she would have to do it now because the day was beginning to darken. How stupid that idea was. There _was_ no where for her to go. She hoped he wouldn't be able to find any water, or even better she hoped he would become hopelessly lost and would die there like the deranged animal that he was.

"Stupid jackass," she muttered to herself. "I knew all along that—"

"That what?"

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**A/N:** Well, what did you think? Much better, yes?Lol.Well, thank you for taking the time to read this re-edited version and please review. I like reading everyone's opinions. Thanks again.

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	2. A Glorious Night

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Escaflowne or its characters. Escaflowne is the property of Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment. I'm just an innocent person who happened to write a fanfic on Escaflowne.

A/N: Wow! Thank you for reviewing. Mannn, it's amazing how excited I become when I get a review. Lolx. It's such an exhilarating feeling. Thanks again! Here is chapter 2. I hope you enjoy it. Btw, does anyone know how to control the spacing? I can't get it to look right and it's driving me insane and I can't put in any asterisks or any other signswithoutthem disappearing!

Please if there is anyone out there who knows howI beg of you to help me! At this point I am becoming very desperate! Oh and if you see any typos could you be so kind as to mention it when you review? That would be most helpful and I'll fix them...when I find time.

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**Chapter 2**

**A Glorious Evening**

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Hitomi gasped and spun around. Van's wound was clean now, unfortunately. She wanted it to get infected and she wanted to slap the smirk off his face.

He approached her with slow deliberate steps. "Are the leaves ready?"

"Yea," she answered bitterly. She heard a low rumble and new that rain was going to fall any minute now.

Hitomi sat sullenly in her corner as Van kneeled before her. He whipped a dime sized amount of the glarl paste and gently spread it across the gash. He repeated the process sever times. Only once did he flinch.

"It's going to rain," he said softly. "We have to get going."

He leaned down close to her, his arms outstretched. 'What the heck is he trying to do?' She scrambled away from him all the while eyeing him suspiciously. He tried again but again she evaded him.

"What are you doing? I don't have time for this!" he hissed. "I have to fly to the next town for shelter. In case you haven't noticed there is going to be a shower tonight."

"I'm not _that_ stupid, you overly repulsive madman!" she said fiercely.

He gave her a look. "Do not provoke me, insolent brat."

He yanked her to her feet and lifted her off the ground. Then he began to run to the edge of the cliff. Hitomi's eyes widened in fear, but she would rather fall off the cliff than put her arms around him for safety.

"This is SUICIDE!" she screamed in his ear.

"What's suicide is you screaming in my freakin ear!" He did the same to her.

She suppressed a scream of frustration.

The minute Van leaped off the cliff, Hitomi's eyes involuntarily closed and her hands clutched pendant in a death grip. Van's hold on her tightened for a brief moment as his wings sprouted. He let out a soft groan.

"Does it hurt every time you do that?" Hitomi asked in a quiet, curious voice.

"That's none of your business," was his gruff reply.

'Jeez..." Hitomi caught a loose piece of feather from Van's wings. It was large and soft—softer than the feathers on a dove's back. She sensed a bit of sadness emitting from it. 'How strange...'

Van noticed her holding a feather of his and smirked. He stared into the distance. 'It won't be long now, Merle.'

Something fell on his face and he looked up. More drops of rain were falling. Hitomi looked around and she jumped when she clearly heard the unmistakable roar of thunder. Several seconds later a lightning bolt struck nearby.

'I'm scared. I don't want to have to die this way,' she silently pleaded. 'At least wait until I'm safe and then the lightning bolts can strike him.'

A small town came into view. When they landed, Van withdrew his wings and led Hitomi to an average sized tavern. Inside was stuffy and disturbing to look at. In various corners lay drunken men passed out cold. Some unruly looking men were drinking from large mugs. One even had the nerve to whistle at her. She made a face at him but the man was too dazed to move.

Van stood at the bar. "Good evening. I would like a room for tonight."

The bartender winked at Hitomi before slipping a key Van. 'Excuse me? Did I see only one key!' she thought, appalled.

Van placed a firm hand on Hitomi's arm and guided her to a room labeled 'The Mess Room.'

"Who the hell names their rooms?" she blurted aloud, not noticing the double entendre.

Van opened the door. "Ladies first."

"It's okay. Men _always_ go first," she said with sarcasm.

"No. I insist." He shoved her into the room.

When he flicked on the light, Hitomi looked around in disappointment. The room was made for a single individual. It was small...with barely enough room to stand. There was a small bed against the wall and a small bathroom. Everything seemed small and ugly from her point of view. Hell, even the walls lacked matching colors. She scrunched up her face in distaste.

She stifled a yawn, and as she did so, her stomach growled. But her pride prevented her from mentioning her hunger to Van. She'd rather starve. Just to see, Hitomi stuck her hand into her pocket and, to her utter dismay, her hand closed around empty space.

She hadn't noticed before but now it came to her that Van was still shirtless. Wasn't he cold? And then she couldn't believe that she had touched his bare skin. Discreetly, she wiped her hands off on her thin tunic.

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'Peculiar girl,' Van commented to himself. He watched as she looked at him with a disgusted face and suddenly wiped her hands. 

He checked his injury. It was healing...slowly. He would have to clean it again later.

'Now, to solve the problem with where to sleep...' He jabbed a finger at Hitomi. "You sleep on the floor over there. I'll get the bed."

Hitomi's eyes narrowed. "Are you crazy? What happened to the 'ladies first' policy? There's absolutely no way I am sleeping on the filthy ground. It could be roach infested!"

He sighed. "Look. I'm the one who did any work around here. All you had to do was sit still while I hauled you for several miles. I'm surprised my arms didn't fall off."

She felt indignant. Was he implying that she was fat? 'Oh, the nerve of that bastard!' Filled with intense rage, she seized all of the pillows, which were only two, and lay them in a corner farthest away from him. Then she went to sleep with her back to him.

"Well, that's fine with me. At least it worked and I don't have to see her face until morning," he muttered to himself.

"I heard that," her voice muffled.

A malicious grin surfaced on his lips and if she had seen it she probably would have hacked his head clean off. He carefully climbed onto the bed and, using his arm as a pillow, fell asleep on his side so he wouldn't rupture the scabbing gash.

The next morning he was up before anyone in the tavern, including the landlord. He sneaked out of the window and made his way to the market place. The merchants looked as if they had been for hours. He passed by a baker and bought two loaves of fresh bread and some cheese from another merchant. He stopped at a stand that sold eggs and bought a pair.

"These will have to do."

When Van returned to the tavern, Hitomi was still asleep. At first he gently shook her but when she didn't wake up, he had to shake her quite violently.

She finally awoke but not before screaming at the top of her lungs about him trying to rape hr and punching him. Her bright emerald eyes widened with shock.

"Oh my god. I'm so sorry!" she apologized immediately.

Oddly, he didn't' feel angry about the fact that she hit him. Instead he said, "Breakfast is on the table. Eat it quickly. We've got to go soon."

While he waited for Hitomi to finish eating, he went into the bathroom to clean out his wound. Even though he dabbed at it gently with a damp cloth, it stung like hell. He continued cleaning it for several minutes.

When Van came out again, Hitomi was done. "Let's go."

Van gave back the keys to the bartender and placed a few coins on the counter. The bartender accepted it and once again he winked a Hitomi. She glared at him only to his amusement. On their way out of the tavern, Van jacked someone's cloak and put it around himself. The weather was still chilly from last night's rain.

Hitomi caught up with him. "You stole a cloak," she said in a voice full of accusation. "Don't you have morals? Do you even have a conscience?"

He smiled grimly down at her. "Darling, you have no idea."

At the edge of the town, Van took off the cloak and handed it to Hitomi, who reluctantly held it. Then he pulled out a long thick strip of cloth.

"Close your eyes."

Hitomi stared at the cloth and backed away. "Why?"

"It's for your protection," he calmly replied.

As he stepped closer to her, she backed up. She kept doing so until her back was against the rough bark of an oak tree. The wind blew softly, sending a wild array of natural fragrances in her direction.

When Hitomi glanced back at Van again, he was uncomfortably close to her. She had no where to go now and no choice but to cooperate.

She bit her lip. "If I comply, will you promise not to hurt or kill me or anything?" she requested as she looked into his eyes. They were such a fiery auburn color that she felt as if they were more like balls of flames. She looked away.

He gave a slight nod and inched closer.

"No. Say it! Tell me that you won't do anything to me."

Van scowled. "Fine, I promise! Now turn around."

Hitomi shut her eyes and felt the cool cloth cover her eyes and tighten a bit as Van tied it. "You gave me your word and now you must abide to it. If you don't—"

"Yea, I get the point."

Van bid his wings to come out and flew towards the sky with Hitomi in his arms. He could not allow her to see where she was being taken. Those were his orders. When he reached the right altitude, his eyes scanned for a particular object in the air. But no where could it be seen. 'This cannot be happening. I know this is the right place.'

Then a realization dawned on him. 'Of course. He activated the Stealth Cloak.' "Damn."

Hitomi stirred in his arms. "What ever it is that you're looking for, it's here. I can sense it," she said quietly.

If he didn't know any better it seemed as if she was trying to...help him. "Are you certain?"

"Yes."

'But how?' He did not sense anything. Hitomi could be wrong, but then again he didn't exactly want to fly smack into it like a pigeon into a window pane. "Do you know where it is?"

Hitomi nodded. "It's over there. Just keep flying upwards." She lifted her fingers towards the clouds.

He flew through the clouds, its vapors clinging persistently onto his wings and weighing him down. "Damned clouds," he cursed.

"Slow down!" Hitomi suddenly yelled. "If you go any faster you're going to collide with it."

After a moment she said, "Van, it's near."

And she was right. Within seconds, they felt a slight shiver go through them. They had passed through the barrier and before them stood massive, intricately designed Floating Fortress.

Van drew in his breath. 'Vione."

* * *

"Unhh..." Merle slowly opened her eyes. She felt lightheaded. "Where am I?" 

Her arms ached for some reason. She looked up to find them hanging from chains connecting to the ceiling. 'Well, no wonder.' She looked down at her feet and found them chained as well.

'What the hell?' There was no point in putting so many devices on her. She lacked the professional skills that Van possessed to escape from situations such as this.

"HELP! Is any body there!" she yelled.

Only her echoes responded.

"HELLO! Is anyone listening? I'm HUNGRY! If somebody doesn't come right now I'll keep on yelling 'til—"

"Can it, missy!" a big, burly voice shouted.

Merle heard heavy footsteps heading her way and smiled with glee as her long tail swished from side to side. 'Finally someone brings me food.'

**

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**A/N:** Well this chapter is definitely shorter than the first one but i'll make it up to youwith the third chapter.And Iapologize if you see any typos--which you probably will--so bear with me and keep in mind thatthe spacing is all crapped up! Anyway, I hope you found this chapter somewhat interesting if not extremely boring. Please review and give me your honest opinion. Thank you and have a good day or night or whichever you prefer!

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	3. Innocent Curiosity

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Escaflowne or its characters. Escaflowne is the property of Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment. I'm just an innocent person who happened to write a fanfic on Escaflowne.

A/N: Yay! Thank you everyone for reviewing! This is so awesome! Lolx. I get so inspired and so happy. Well here is chapter 3 and it's much longer and personally I like chapter 3 better. I hope you find it appealing!

And I sincerely apologize for the delay as well as for any typos—though I double checked many times. Oh! Towards the end read carefully because you might miss what is being written and other than that have fun!

**

* * *

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Chapter 2

**Innocent Curiosity**

* * *

Van and Hitomi crossed the threshold and into the kingdom that Folken reigned. In the main hall where they had just entered, guards in matching grey uniforms were stationed here and there. They looked very intelligent and capable of much destruction, but truthfully only a mere handful actually possessed those two characteristics. The other men were simply trained to appear so. 

Van was about to cross into the next room when a large, muscular man, who strongly resembled a lion, blocked his path.

"What business do you have here?" asked the lion man.

"I'm here to deliver a package." Van indicated to Hitomi in his arms.

'Package? Is that all I am? I'm a human being for god's sake!' "I have feelings too, you know!" Hitomi squirmed but was immediately given a shake. She stopped.

The lion man gave Van a once-over and appeared to be satisfied with what he saw. "Follow me."

Van followed him into a bright corridor and up a flight of stairs and into a large office-like room. Van's eyes fell on a dark silhouette. Immediately he identified the figure. "Dilandau."

Dilandau emerged from the shadows with his lips curved into a devilish smile. "I'm glad you recognize me, Van. I see you've successfully brought what we asked for."

He went over and examined her, seeing that her eyes were covered as was instructed. "Why is she not bound and gagged? Jajuka! Bring me some ropes."

"It wasn't necessary."

"Necessary? Whoever said it wasn't?" Dilandau bid Van to put Hitomi on the floor. Jajuka returned with the ropes and handed them to Dilandau.

Hitomi felt the ropes encircling her ankles and struggled to kick them off. "No, please. I swear I won't run away. Just don't tie me."

Dilandau smirked. "And I assume you wouldn't scream either if I do not gag you?"

She nodded.

"Aw, poor girl. She doesn't want us to restrain her. Now, what should I do, Van?"

Before Van could say a word, Dilandau had Hitomi's leg fastened together. "I'm sorry. Really. It's for the best," he said in a voice faking apology.

'My sword! How could I have forgotten about it?' Quickly she unsheathed it, but as fate would have it, it was almost as quickly knocked from her hands. She groaned inwardly in frustration. Her hands were bound next.

"Naughty girl. It's dangerous to play with sharp objects. Didn't your mommy ever teach you that? I'll just have to keep it for now." Dilandau placed a strip of cloth over her mouth and somehow she managed to bite him. His hands recoiled involuntarily and then he slapped her on the cheek. "That hurt you know."

Hitomi poured out a stream of curses but they were all muffled by the gag.

Dilandau laughed. "I see her spirit is strong. Come, we shall go pay Folken a little visit."

Van lifted Hitomi and followed Dilandau. Before long Hitomi started wriggling and writhing all while screaming into the cloth. Why she hadn't done so on their way to Vione was what Van aspired to know.

"Stop it. There's no point in doing that now," Van said reasonably to her.

Hitomi gave a final scream and then laid still, her lips pursed in an angry line. He could feel her anger and purposely ignored it.

Dilandau led them while Jajuka followed behind. After a flight of stairs into the third story, and passed many corridors turning this way and that, Dilandau finally stopped at a large delicate double door. A strange insignia was engraved in the middle of the doors.

"Well, we're here at last. Any questions? No? All right then." Dilandau lifted the elegant angel shaped door knocker and let it go. It made a loud bang.

A moment later the two doors opened and revealed a hybrid cat woman. She had silvery white hair and flashing blue eyes.

"Good afternoon, Dilandau, sir. May I help you?" she asked as she stepped out into the hallway.

"Hello there, Naria. You're looking quite healthy today."

She smiled knowingly. "Why thank you, sir."

"We are here to see Folken. Could you please inform him of our presence? Tell him that Van has the package."

Naria nodded and closed the doors behind her.

Van let Hitomi down. His wound was bothering him for some reason. He checked it and saw that it was bleeding a little and it felt like someone had poured a whole bottle of alcohol on it. Naria opened the doors and beckoned them to come in. With a grunt, Van hoisted Hitomi over his shoulder. He heard her utter a protest and thought to himself. 'If I have to suffer than so must you.'

They entered a room that was exquisitely furnished with a woman's taste. Obviously this was Naria's secretarial office. There was a massive double door to the left of the room and behind those closed doors lay the key to Merle's freedom.

Van had known Merle longer than he had known his own mother. It was sad really, but it was the truth. Both his parents had died when he was just a boy, barely old enough to remember their appearance and their growing love for him. It was first his father who died, and then his mother. He had a brother, but that...that was another tragedy entirely.

He had found Merle all alone in the middle of the forest one day when Vargas took him to continue his swording skills. Van was only ten then and Merle eight. Merle was busy gathering a pile of nuts that had fallen off trees and Van had accidentally kicked the nuts, scattering them all over. She was furious and so they ended up in an amateur fight. Vargas found them with tiny cuts and bruises. He had laughed at the sight of them and decided to take Merle into his care. From then on Van and Merle had become inseparable companions, always there for each other.

"This way." Naria motioned to the doors. She opened it and waited for everyone to enter the room.

Hitomi could literally feel all the blood rushing to her head and hoped that she wouldn't be in this position for much longer. They were moving again but she couldn't see where. She heard the door close behind her—no, from her position it was in front of her.

"Ah, you're here. Quite ahead of schedule...but here. I wasn't expecting you so soon though," a new voice spoke. It was low and smooth.

Hitomi was set down and turned around. Someone's hand was clamped on her elbow.

"Where's Merle?" said a voice near her. It sounded like Van.

"Dilandau, would you please bring Merle here to me? I believe Jajuka knows where she is. Quickly now. We don't want to keep my dear brother waiting, now do we?" the voice said in a playful tone. Hitomi assumed that this was Folken.

'Brother? That must mean that that man is also a Draconian...just as the legends foretold.' She heard the swishing of movement as Dilandau and Jajuka left.

"I am not your brother!" Van shouted, making Hitomi flinch. "My brother is dead to me."

"Van, what have I done to make you resent me so?"

"You left us—abandoned us!" he answered bitterly. "You were old enough to support Mother and me, but you left!"

Folken sighed tiredly. "I had no other choice."

"The hell you did. Your image isn't everything. There were other important things that mattered."

"Tell me, Van, could you have lived with yourself after you failed to retrieve a Dragu-Energist? The whole city was anticipating it. Everyone expected it of me. Do you think they would have accepted my failure?"

"It sure as hell was better than leaving Mother. She DIED because of you!" Van roared.

Something, possibly a chair, slammed against the wall. Hitomi guessed that it was Folken's doing.

Folken's voice rose to match Van's. "Damn it! Don't you think I know that!" And then in a calmer voice, "Besides, it's much too late to repair the damage that I've inflicted upon my family."

"I cannot believe this...I have to get out of here. Why are they taking so long?" Van sounded extremely irritated.

Hitomi heard someone approach her and remove the blind fold from her eyes. She blinked several times to get used to the blinding brightness of the room. The first person that came into view was actually someone she had never laid eyes on. He was very tall and mysterious looking. He donned a long black cloak that was fastened with a blood red spade. She noticed a lavender teardrop just below his right eye. And she was startled to find that his eyes held the same intensity as Van's and had nearly the same fiery auburn.

Folken chuckled as her remarkable green eyes ran up and down his face. "Curious, aren't you?"

Hitomi eyes widened with guilt and she averted her gaze. By this time, Dilandau and Jajuka had returned with a girl with ears and pink hair—'She's a cat!' Hitomi realized.

"Merle!" Van extended his hand.

Folken spoke up. "Now that I have what I want...she is free from my hold."

Jajuka loosened his grip on Merle, who had been fidgeting with her hands.

Merle ran into Van's arms and released a sob. "I was so scared, Van. I was so alone. But I never stop believing that you would come and get me."

He stroked her head. "It's okay now. You're safe with me. Did they hurt you?"

She shook her head, her violet eyes glistening. "But I was chained like a criminal!"

Van shot a dirty look at Folken, who looked indifferent. "Let's go. We're done here."

He scooped Merle into his arms and walked out without another glance.

* * *

Allen rose to his feet and paced around the room, his arm healing rather nicely. "I cannot stand not knowing how Hitomi is faring! I've got to find out where she is." 

Gaddes felt grief as well. "Captain, I can send some of the men to search for Van. If we can get a hold of him then we could force him to tell us where she is."

Allen paused. "That is a good idea to begin with. Yes, please do so. Thank you, Gaddes."

"It's the least I can do." He bowed and left the room.

"I need to contact Vargas. Perhaps he knows of Van's whereabouts. Though, it's not likely that he would tell me so easily. He _is_ Van's sword trainer. But he was mine as well," he muttered softly to himself.

He slumped down into a chair, his hands covering his face as he uttered a despairing groan.

Millerna kneeled beside him. "I'm sure she can take care of herself. She can defend herself pretty well. You would know."

"Yes," he said, his voice tinged with sorrow.

"Let me get you something to eat. You didn't eat breakfast," she said reproachfully. She stood up and went downstairs to the kitchen.

Allen pushed his long hair away from his face and glanced out into the forest. His guilt was consuming him and if he didn't do anything to redeem himself he was going to explode. With a weary sigh, Allen climbed out of the window and found his Guymelef. He boarded Scherazade and wandered around, patrolling the streets of Asturia as well.

* * *

"What are you going to do with her?" Dilandau asked curiously. 

"I'm not certain, yet," Folken replied thoughtfully. "What is that you have in your hands, Dilandau?"

"It's the girl's sword. She tried to attack me with it so I confiscated it."

There was a pause. "But she was blindfolded. Surely you are not afraid of her...unless she had perfect aiming. And did she?"

"Um, not exactly. But she posed as a threat!" he protested.

Folken chuckled softly. "My dear boy, you are much too concerned about yourself. You know you could easily overcome her."

"As sayings go...it's better to be safe than sorry."

"Hand me her sword," Folken commanded, his arm outstretched.

Dilandau obeyed and wondered what Folken found so important about the girl's sword.

Folken examined it and then waved a hand over Dilandau and Jajuka. "I'd like a moment with the girl."

Hitomi saw the smirk on Dilandau's face as they both left. She prayed to God that Folken would not rape her and pleaded to be saved from this treacherous turn of events. When Folken stepped toward her, nearly towering over her, she struggled to get away.

"You are afraid of me," he marveled. "Do not worry. I will not hurt you."

She stared at him with wide eyes as he reached behind her head and untied the knots to the cloth around her mouth. His eyes showed slight concern as he traced the side of her face with his left hand.

"Such beauty," he said softly. "...but flawed by this mark. Who did this to you?"

"D—" Her voice caught in her throat. She swallowed and continued, "It was Dilandau."

Folken laughed softly. "Ah, that presumptuous boy. What did you do to provoke him?"

"I bit him," she said timidly.

Again he laughed. "He is quite the gentleman to take little things seriously. Do not worry about him. He cannot hurt you as long as you are in my presence."

He gently freed her hands and the minute Hitomi caught sight of the sharp metallic claws, she shrunk back in horror. They looked sinister gleaming in the light. She thought they resembled those of a dragon's, dangerous and lethal.

"Is it so scary?" Folken asked coldly. He hadn't anticipated her reaction to his artificial arm. But then again not very many were lucky enough to see it and live. "How would you feel about this then?"

He removed his cloak and flung it on his table. He kept his gaze on hers.

Hitomi gasped loudly and covered her mouth. Her eyes trailed from the metal fingers to the wrist, the forearm, the elbow, and finally the shoulder where the metal parts ended. She couldn't help it but another gasp escaped her lips.

She flinched and sucked in her breath from the cold metal when Folken seized her arm and pulled her close to him. Then he whispered softly into her ear. "It feels cold doesn't it?"

He released her arm. "But it also absorbs heat as well." He grabbed her hand with his other arm and placed it in the palm of his metallic hand.

Folken was right. The heat from her arm had seeped into the metal and had kept it warm for a moment. "What happened to your arm?" she asked.

A bitter smile formed on his lips. "What is your name?"

"Hitomi...Kanzaki," she answered.

"Ah, Hitomi. It's a lovely name for a girl just as lovely."

"You're not gonna tell me, are you?"

"Clever girl, you catch on fast. However, the answer to your question shall be saved for another day," Folken said mysteriously.

He picked up her sword, caressing the designs on the scabbard as he glanced at her. "Show me," he said as he sliced through the ropes binding Hitomi's feet. He felt her flinch under the sword and suppressed a crafty smile.

'Oh god, I thought he was going to chop my legs off. If he thought it was funny then he's got one sick sense of humor.' "I could've untied it myself," she said stiffly. She yanked the sword out of his hand and held it before her. "Are you going to draw your sword or what?"

Calmly, Folken pulled out his sword from its impressive looking sheath. Hitomi let her anger flow into each attack that she gave him. Their swords danced and sparked, clanging violently against each other. For who knows how long the two continued their swordfight until they both were panting and sweat was dripping from their foreheads. Folken appeared as if he wasn't at all perturbed by the brawl though Hitomi felt as if she was running the mile. Blocking a final weak swing from Hitomi, Folken had his sword against her neck.

"Your skills are destined for greatness, though I find it vaguely familiar. I cannot place where I have encountered it before," he said into her ear.

Hitomi swiftly slipped away from him. "Well, your skills are impressive as well, Folken," she remarked cunningly.

"I can show you how to move like I do, dance like I do, and grace like I do. What do you say?"

Hitomi was tempted since she was curious about his graceful talent. "Uh...I'll think about it."

He studied her face and saw the way her mouth quirked at the corners. He could sense that her aura was radiating with potential. "I see. In any case, are you hungry? Dinner shall be served soon. While we wait, I will show you to your sleeping quarters."

Folken directed her to a dark room. She turned on the light and nearly fainted. It was lavished and furnished with things that would fit a king. She went over to the four-poster with sheer silk curtains the color of midnight black draping from the canopy and lifted the first black comforter only to reveal a sage green one beneath it. She ran her hands over the velvety material and pressed her hand down on the pillows, some black and some different shades of green. The floor was tiled with black marble and the walls were covered in white marble.

Hitomi entered the bathroom to discover that it was covered from ceiling to floor with rose onyx. There was a large shower and tub as well. The sink was made of clear glass. And best of all, the whole bathroom smelled like roses.

Folken watched with amusement as Hitomi went from object to object and examining them. "So you like how your room is accommodated?"

Hitomi came back to him, breathless. "It's very pretty, but I can't accept it."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why not?" he mused.

"Because..." She threw out her hands, gesturing to the expensive furnishings. "I mean, look at it! I don't deserve it."

"Where would you rather stay then?" he asked calmly, as if he went through the same thing every day.

"Some where other than this room," she stated firmly.

"Come, I'll show you the other rooms if you'd like."

Folken took her into a different sleeping quarter and she nearly died of a heart attack at discovering that the room was just as lavishly furnished. The next several rooms were exactly the same and secretly, Hitomi thought the first room she had visited was her favorite.

"Is every room decorated all...fancy and stuff? Is yours like that too?" Hitomi asked out of curiosity.

"Well, if you want I'll show you my room as well. Come," he beckoned.

He led her down the corridor to a unique looking door and opened it for her. When she entered, she could not help but feel extremely depressed. The whole room resembled darkness. Folken's bed, including sheets and comforters and pillows, was all black as well as the marble floor. The walls were of dark midnight blue onyx. His bathroom had black marble onyx tiled all over it. Even the tub was black. The only thing that wasn't black was the crystal sink and the jade green/black armoire.

However, his room was just as exquisitely decorated, much to Hitomi's utter satisfaction.

"I suggest you claim the room I had previously assigned you. I find that one more lively. Shall we go to dinner now?" Folken suggested.

Hitomi nodded. "Yes, please."

As soon as she sat down at the glazed rosewood dinner table, Dilandau smirked at her. She wondered what made him smirk so much and decided to smirk at him in return only to receive a glare, which she returned ten times more menacingly.

"If you keep glaring at me like that you're face is going to remain that way for who knows how long. I wouldn't particularly like staring at that while I'm eating. I might just lose my appetite," Dilandau remarked smugly.

'Argh, cowardly pig,' thought Hitomi. "Then why the hell are you staring at my face so much if it's just going to make you sick, huh? Gosh, I didn't think you were _that_ stupid."

"I'm not. I don't even have to look at you to see it. It has been violently embedded in my brain!" he spat as he stuffed a piece of chicken into his mouth.

"Then why do I get the mighty impression that with every minute that passes, your brain cells have been dramatically reduced to less than ¾ its original quantity?" Hitomi calmly placed a neatly cut chunk of meat into her mouth.

Dilandau looked outraged. "What?" He paused and then regained his composure. "If that was to imply that I'm stupid then it was a ridiculously feeble attempt! Besides, I don't have to worry that my face isn't as hideous as yours."

"You are so conceited."

"And you are just jealous that my face is actually beautiful compared to yours," he retorted haughtily.

"I think I'm going to be sick," she said disgustedly.

Folken patiently ate his dinner as he watched the two bicker incessantly. Fortunately, it provided some sort of entertainment for once since dinner was usually dreadfully quiet and boring.

Dilandau raised his eyebrows. "My, my...poor dear, she can't handle my good looks."

Hitomi snorted. "Are you gay?"

Dilandau nearly choked on his veggie. "What the heck? Who ever said I was?"

"No one. I've just never met anyone as incredibly conceited as you are. So naturally it would seem that way to me." She sipped her wine.

"Well, I've never met anyone with a face like yours. I believe it could chase the devil right back to the pits of hell."

'Ouch,' she thought. 'You just wait, Dilandau. One day I am going to make you beg on your puny little knees and ask me for forgiveness!' "At least I'm not conceited!"

"Well thank god for that," was his reply. "It would only make you seem like a desperate fool."

And that was how dinner ended. For the next few weeks Hitomi and Dilandau's constant arguing became a habit at dinner. Folken actually found it amusing to watch and he only cut in once in a while to stop them from tearing each other apart. Only once did they get out of control. Dilandau had mentioned something about her looks and hadn't seen bread roll flying his way until it smacked him right in the middle of the forehead. He retaliated by flinging a spoon full of mashed potato down her shirt. And then you know what usually follows—a food fight. It took Folken ten minutes to get it down under control but by then dinner was over.

During the course of the week, Hitomi had gotten used to the layout of the castle and was familiar with most of the routes. A couple of days after Folken had offered to give her lessons in sword fighting she accepted. Much to her dismay, he paired her up with Dilandau because he was the elite commander of his class. In the arena, however, the two didn't bicker as much as they did during dinner. Dueling gave them something to release their fiery emotions, which was a generous relief for the both of them.

As Hitomi was about to go to her room for a soothing bath, Folken stepped into stride with her. She acknowledged his presence and felt a little pleased that he wasn't wearing his black cloak. Come to think of it, Hitomi hadn't seen him wearing it for at least a week now.

"Hitomi, I have seen you and your skills progress both mentally and physically and I was thinking..." He looked down at her, the golden loops in his ear gleaming against the soft light.

She looked up at him and though she never realized it before because she never really got to get a good glimpse of Folken's face, he had a very attractive appearance. And he always wore his black cloak. His intense eyes only emphasized the phrase: tall, dark, and handsome. She shook the thought from her head. "Yes?"

He cocked his head, indicating that he was thinking. "I was thinking that I would like to place you under Dilandau as lieutenant commander. And eventually you can even overrule him, though I doubt he would like that idea very much. So what is your opinion?"

Already, evil schemes for getting revenge on Dilandau was clicking in her brain. This would be the perfect chance to carry it out. "Yes, I would like to be lieutenant commander."

Although she agreed, her heart gave a lurch. It was as if she was making a life long commitment...but what if Allen came and saved her? She was just getting used to living in Folken's castle and he treated her with kindness though she still felt a little frightened of him.

"Good," he commented, sounding quite pleased. "I'll have your uniform ready by tomorrow morning."

They reached her room.

"Um, I'm gonna go in now," Hitomi said slowly as she opened her door.

Folken placed a warm hand on her shoulder, barely feeling her flinch. "In that case...good night, Hitomi. I shall see you tomorrow."

"Good night."

* * *

Merle finished licking her bowl of milk. After several weeks, Merle was still curious about the girl she had seen when Van had come to rescue her. "So who was that girl in the room?" 

"What girl?" Van said distractedly as he practiced his sword combinations.

"You know...the one that was tied up and everything."

Van spun to the opposite side that he had been previously standing and slashed the sword into the air. "Oh, her. Let's just say...she was your ticket to freedom."

Merle put her bowl down. "So you're saying that...you had to kidnap her and exchange her for me?"

"Yes," he grunted while he sliced the air.

Merle leaned on the table with her hands on her face. "Was it a ransom of some sort?"

"Uh huh."

"Do you know what for?"

"Nope."

Merle was disappointed. "Folken didn't say?"

"Nope."

"What a bummer." Merle pouted and then jumped onto the table and began imitating Van.

Suddenly Van stopped. "Now that you mention it. I'm curious to know what Folken wanted with her...something about the Phantom Moon...I think."

'Could it...' Merle thought. She turned to Van with a hopeful look in her eyes. "Was she from the Phantom Moon?"

"I'm not sure. I don't think so though. I mean, why would Folken wait a year before getting his hands on her. I just think that's strange, even for Folken." Van continued his practice.

"Well, you never know, you know," she said, slightly disappointed...again.

* * *

After her shower, Hitomi decided to stop by the castle garden for a little relaxation. The flowers grown there released soft, soothing therapeutic aromas that cleared away tension and anxiety—but only temporary. Their effects wore off after about an hour or two. Hitomi plucked a petal from a full bloomed rose and sniffed in its fresh, sweet fragrance. 

As she passed a row of rose bushes, she saw a hooded figure leaning over a stalk of amaryllis flowers. The person seemed to be in deep thought because when Hitomi approached her, Hitomi assumed that the person was a female, the woman did not seem to notice.

"Hello!" chirped Hitomi. She waited for a response but there was not even a slight movement from her.

Hitomi cleared her throat and said in a louder voice. "Hello there!"

The person snapped out of her trance and froze. She viciously threw back her hood and jabbed a finger at Hitomi. "You!"

Hitomi gaped in horror before she started laughing. "I cannot believe I'm seeing this."

It was actually Dilandau behind the hooded cloak.

"I thought you were a woman!" she said, trying to suppress another fit of laughter.

He angrily glared at her. "It's not funny. If you must know, Folken visits here all the time. It was _he_ who convinced me to come to this dreadful garden."

Hitomi sobered up and looked at him wide-eyed. "So you're not...gay?"

"Hell no. Why do you keep thinking that?" he asked in an irritated voice.

She was disappointed. "Well, I always see you doing girly things."

"I do not do girly things! This is the first time," he said indignantly.

"It's not my fault you act like a girl."

"I do not!"

"You just admitted it!"

Dilandau frowned. "No, I didn't. When did I admit it?"

"Oh my god. Are you like brain dead or something?"

"Why do you keep implying that I'm stupid?"

Hitomi felt like cracking her head on the floor. "Perhaps because you _are_?"

Dilandau put his hood back on. "Your face is disturbing my peace. I must leave now."

"Go ahead. It's not like I give a damn. Besides your girly-ness practically destroyed my sanity." She snickered inwardly and leaned over the amaryllis blossom to hide the grin on her face.

Dilandau whirled on his heel and gave her the deadliest look he could muster. "Before you keep on laughing, you may want to look in the mirror before it runs the hell away from you," he hissed angrily.

Agh! How _dare_ that dimwitted freak make _fun_ of her! "You are despicable!"

With that she stormed away and locked herself safely in her room. She fell asleep with a wicked smile on her lips as thoughts of plotting malicious methods against Dilandau drifted into her dreams.

**

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A/N:** Well this is where chap 3 ends! It's much longer as I promised and I hope you enjoyed it! Chapter 4 is coming up—I hope soon! Please review and give me your honest opinion! Thank you and have a good day! I wonder if I forgot to say anything else... 

Chapter 4: Mind Games

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	4. Mind Games

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Escaflowne or its characters. Escaflowne is the property of Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment. I'm just an innocent person who happened to write a fanfic on Escaflowne.

A/N: I made a mistake for chapter 3! Instead of putting chapter three I put 2 so sorry about that and thx Serena for pointing that out! Oh man, these typos drive me crazy! And I bet they drive you guys crazy as well lolx maybe there'll be less in this chap.Thanks forreviewing you guys!I very much appreciate it.Well enjoy!

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**Chapter 4**

**Mind Games

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**

The next day, Hitomi discovered a polished Zaibach uniform draped over her bed and gasped when she picked it up. She was going to die from embarrassment before she was going to die from a sword wound. She tried on the outfit and frowned in distaste. A black armor plate corset wrapped around her middle while a resilient green material covered her chest and acted as a skirt to cover her thighs. But Hitomi thought it didn't cover enough. Sturdy boots laced up to her calves and stylish gloves with Vione's crest protected her hands from blisters.

She didn't think it was an appropriate uniform to wear to fight and dreaded Dilandau's reaction. He probably would laugh like a hyena and die like that. There was a knock on her door.

"Hitomi?" sounded a woman's voice.

Hitomi opened it and was surprised to see Eriya. "Yes?"

Eriya looked at her outfit approvingly because she herself was wearing something similar to Hitomi's. "Dilandau asked that you hurry it up a bit. And he also said that it shouldn't take you a long time since you have nothing pretty to look at."

"He said that?"

"Yup."

"Argh! That stupid mongrel!"

Eriya laughed.

"I'm gonna break that precious sword of his."

"Well, have fun!" With that Eriya left.

Hitomi swore Dilandau couldn't go a day without ruining hers. She slowly trudged her way to the sword arena and opened the door. Dilandau stopped in the middle of carry out a combo and his jaw practically dropped to the floor.

"What!" Hitomi snapped at Dilandau as she entered the arena. She was still angry about what he had said about her. "You've never seen a girl where this before?"

Dilandau recovered and shot back, "Of course I have! I just never thought I would see it on the likes of _you_."

She rolled her eyes. Then an awesomely awesome idea came to her and she grinned evilly to herself.

"Come on, Dilandau. I know you really _liked_ what you saw." She drawled seductively, wondering how he would react.

"Are you crazy? I—I..." He faltered the minute Hitomi slowly walked over to him and deliberately placed a hand lightly on his shoulder while giving him a flirtatious smile.

She nearly died trying to keep a straight face when she saw his expression. She made a show of walking away and glanced back to see if he was watching. He was. "You...what, hmm? Do you want...more?"

His eyes were wide. "I want—I mean I think we should—"

"Hmm? What are you trying to say, Dilandau?" she asked innocently.

He looked extremely agitated. Hitomi felt kind of sorry for him. Then he shook his head as if to clear his mind and then said in a more controlled manner. "We have to start now."

Hitomi laughed loudly. So that was the secret to unnerving that pesky boy. "Very well, then, Dilandau. But first." She pronounced his name very provocatively, and snickered inwardly after.

She pretended to play with his hair and crept behind him to give him a massage. He accepted.

_Man, Dilandau, you _are_ stupid,_ she thought evilly.

Then before he could think about she could do to him, Hitomi placed her hands on the shoulder muscles and gave them the massage of a lifetime, agonizingly crushing the life out of them.

"**AAHHHHHH!**" He wrenched himself away from her killer massage and tenderly rubbed his battered shoulders. "What the heck were you trying to do to me!"

"I was only giving you a massage. Everyone who's ever had one says it's amazingly RELAXING."

Dilandau looked bewildered. "Relaxing my ass! It felt like you were trying to rip the meat off my body!"

She couldn't help it—she had to laugh. It was a loud, belly laugh. The more she laughed the angrier Dilandau got, which only made her laugh even harder. It took her a while to sober up and when she did, Dilandau pointed his sword at her.

"Are you ready now?" he asked, impatiently. Obviously he wanted to take his anger out on a fight with her.

"As ready as I'll ever be," she challenged as she drew hers.

The door opened. Hitomi glanced to her left and saw that Folken had just entered. For some reason, Folken's presence gave her a sense of calm, soothing comfort. She had come to like his cool patience. She wondered what it would take to make him angry. But thought better of it. She didn't think an angry Folken was a good idea.

"Let us begin with our stance." Dilandau held his sword with a firm grip. He kept his center balanced.

Hitomi's stance was graceful yet poised and well coordinated. "Are we just going to stand here all day?"

As they began to duel, Folken observed Hitomi's technique again. He had done so the past weeks but he could never put a name on it. His mind wandered to the sword fights he had had with Van in the past and then it hit him. Hitomi's techniques resembled those of Van's. However, it was impossible that his brother had taught her to fight with a sword unless...

"Hitomi," he began.

"Yes?" she asked in a distracted voice. She was counterattacking one of Dilandau's moves.

"Who was your trainer?"

She looked puzzled. "Trainer...? Oh, you mean who taught me to use a sword?"

"That is precisely what I am asking you," he replied with a slight smile.

"Well, uh...Millerna did," she lied. It wasn't exactly a lie since Millerna did instruct her...only a couple weeks before she was kidnapped.

Folken strode over to her. He placed a hand under her chin and lifted it up to him. His fierce red-brown eyes penetrated hers. "You're lying, Hitomi."

"Uh, Folken? If you don't mind, we'd like to continue now," interrupted Dilandau. He was leaning on the hilt of his sword.

As if he hadn't heard, Folken continued. "I can see it in your eyes. Now tell me, Hitomi, was it Allen?"

Hitomi was shocked. _How did he know?_

"Am I correct?"

"Yes."

A pleased expression surfaced his face. "I thought so. Did you know Van and Allen were taught by the same sword master? It's a wonder they haven't engaged in a battle."

She never knew that and wondered why Allen never told her. Probably something had happened between the two and caused the formidable distance between them.

They resumed their fight for about 45 minutes more until Folken stopped them. He decided that that was enough for the day. He had only wanted to test Hitomi's endurance.

Hitomi returned to her room for a quick shower. When she was done, she stepped out of her room only to bump into Eriya, who was the overseer of the training grounds for sword fighting. Naria, who served as Folken's secretary/assistance, was her sister. Naria was the one with silvery white hair and blue eyes while Eriya had blonde hair and red eyes.

"Hey you," Eriya greeted warmly. "Good job handling Dilandau. He deserved it."

Hitomi laughed. "Yea, I thought so too."

Eriya paused. "Would you like to see Folken's work?"

"Uh...isn't he busy?"

"Not really. I wouldn't call it work. It looks more like he's putting bits and pieces together and all that. Come on. I'll show you."

Eriya headed towards Folken's office and instead of opening the double doors, she veered just to the left of it and pushed open a hidden door. Hitomi followed her inside the cool, narrow corridor until they reached a dead end. Eriya gently pushed open another hidden door and they were inside a brightly lit room.

"Whoa," Hitomi said under her breath.

"This is Folken's lab/library. He's in here most of the time usually when he wants to be by himself," Eriya whispered. She began crawling down an aisle of books.

"Won't he catch us?"

"Nope. Sometimes he's too busy doing what ever that he does, and he won't even notice if you're standing right in front of him."

"Okay."

They reached the end of the aisle and saw Folken studying something. Hitomi couldn't see what it was. She quickly ducked her head because she was afraid of what he would do if he saw her.

"Have you ever been caught?" she asked Eriya.

She nodded. "Yea."

"What happened?"

"Folken picked me up and threw me out the window. No, I'm just kidding. He just told me to not do it again. But by the looks of it does it look like I listen?" Eriya giggled softly.

Hitomi joined her and admitted, "I'm kind of scared of him."

Eriya gave a slight shrug. "I was too when I first came here. Sometimes he seems distant or cold, but he can be pretty nice when he wants to be. And he only lets few into his heart."

"So, what happens if you betray his trust?"

"Honestly, I don't know. You'll just have to find out for yourself."

"Oh. But aren't you breaking his trust right now then?"

She looked thoughtful. "Hmm, I guess? I don't think it's a big enough for me to lose his trust though."

"I see."

Eriya sighed. "Don't you think Folken is gorgeous? I do. There's something about that dark, broody character of his that attracts me. And have you seen him shirtless? I haven't. I would just about die if I ever laid my eyes on his body."

Hitomi laughed.

"Really! I'm not kidding. I wonder if he's ever loved any one before," she pondered whimsically.

"Do you like him?"

"I guess...I don't know. What do you think of him?"

"Um, he has nice features?"

Eriya laughed. "Is that all you have to say?"

Suddenly a shadow fell over them and without looking up Hitomi knew who it was. She gulped. She was sure he had heard them talking about him. And if he did he didn't show any sign that he did.

"Ladies, what are you doing here?" asked Folken in a slightly amused voice.

"Hi, Folken!" Eriya said cheerfully.

Hitomi was too afraid to say anything.

He frowned. "Eriya, I thought I told you not to spy on me again."

"I know but it's so interesting."

"Is that why you decided to bring Hitomi along with you?"

Eriya grinned. "Yup."

Folken walked over to a large oak table. "If it puts out the fire of your curiosity, then feel free to look. There is nothing here to hide."

Eriya boldly approached the table and examined the contents it contained. She beckoned Hitomi to follow suit. Hitomi only saw an ancient looking book and a large map. She thought there would be more fascinating things here.

Folken stood to the side and watched them observe the materials. He laughed softly when he saw the clear disappointment on Eriya's face. Hitomi, however, had a doubtful look on her face. She approached him.

"I think you're hiding something," she whispered to him.

He smiled and his eyes twinkled knowingly. He placed a cold hand on her back and something pricked her.

_Ow. It must have been those sharp metal nails of his,_ Hitomi concluded.

"This is boring," complained Eriya. "I'm leaving."

After she left, Folken opened the book that was on the table and turned to a particular page. It looked as if the page was about to fall to pieces any second.

Folken pointed to the page. "Do you know what this is?"

Hitomi shook her head. She was curious though.

"Within these pages is written a very elaborate legend of the bloodline of certain Draconians. I am sure you know what Draconians are, yes?"

Hitomi suppressed a yawn and nodded. She felt tired for some reason, but ignored it. She had actually seen one and it was Van. Draconians had descended from those who had once dwelled on Atlantis. "Van's one."

"Indeed, but only half of his blood is Draconian. The other is human."

"So you're half as well?"

"Yes," he replied softly.

"May I see?"

"No, Hitomi. Not yet."

"Oh. Then can you tell me more about the Draconians?"

Folken drew an invisible line under the word 'Dragon god' with a metal index finger. "In this book, Draconians are also referred to as Dragon gods. They once ruled the kingdom of Atlantis before it was destroyed. The Atlanteans harbored the remainder of their power to create Gaea. The humans despised the Draconians. They were thought of as demons—evil and corrupt."

"Why did the humans hate them?"

He looked down sadly at her. "That is to be explained some other time. You should get some rest now."

"Is that a polite way of telling me to leave you alone?"

The corner of mouth turned up. "Yes."

When Hitomi finally made her way out of the secret not-so-secret-anymore lab/library, she went to her room to "rest" like Folken had suggested. Truthfully, she did feel sleepy. Her mind wandered to the very first day she had arrived at Vione. Van had accused Folken of causing their mother's death and Folken seemed genuinely hurt by that...or was it just a figment of Hitomi's imagination?

She lay sprawled on her bed and thought of Allen, Millerna, and Gaddes. She missed them something awful but what could she do? There was no way for her to reach them. She would fall to her death and what would be the point in that?

She wondered if they were looking for her or worried that something might have happened to her. She couldn't bear to think that they were searching frantically for her—risking their health and sanity, when she was safe and sound in a place where they would never think to find her.

Hitomi drifted into a nap. In her dream, she was in a Vione and there was a dark shadow following her every where she went. She was afraid, yet at the same time she wasn't. She tried to corner the shadow but every time she turned around, the shadow just disappeared. She ran down a hallway and then she was falling down a pit of darkness.

* * *

Allen rested on the ledge of a nook with his eyes closed. It had been weeks since Hitomi's abduction and his anxiety was taking its toll on him as well as Millerna and the rest of his men—especially Gaddes. Dryden came down for a visit and stayed ever since. He was the son of the assassinated merchant, Meiden, and had inherited all of his father's businesses and money, making him the wealthiest merchant in Asturia. 

Allen suspected that Dryden's true intentions were to court Millerna. Dryden was a good man with a mind containing a vast amount of knowledge. He might even be able to help them find Hitomi.

The door burst open. It was Millerna. She looked a little shaken up.

"What is it, Millerna?" Allen rose to face her.

She fiddled with her gloves. "Dryden has asked me to marry him."

He walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulder. "What did you say?"

"I said that I would think about it. Allen, I didn't—I don't know what to say. I don't think I love him yet."

"Tell him when you're ready."

"What if I will never be ready? I can't make him wait for me."

"What does your heart tell you?"

Millerna paused and said quietly. "It's telling me that I love you."

"Millerna." He stroked her hair. "You know that we can't."

"I know, but I can't help it if that's how I feel." She wiped a single tear from her face.

He continued to hold her until she moved to the nook and sat down to look out the window. She sighed softly.

"Any news of Hitomi?"

"No."

The door opened again and Gaddes rushed in, breathless. The rest of the men stayed outside.

"Allen, sir! We have some vital information we think you should know," reported Gaddes. "It's about Van."

* * *

Hitomi woke up and realized that she had fallen of the bed. She looked outside her window to see that the sky was taking on a dark navy hue. She had taken a longer nap than she had intended. 

Feeling her stomach growl, she decided to head for the kitchen. It was dark in the hallway and it reminded her of her dream. A slight twinge of fear arose in her. As she started down the stairs, she heard a noise coming from nearby. She froze.

The noise came from a nearby room. Hitomi reached the foot of the stairs and inched toward the sound. A fit of giggles traveled into the hallway. A door was opened and the light was on, but dim.

She was about to walk right on by when she caught a glimpse of Dilandau's white hair and another white head with a pair of ears.

_That must be Naria,_ thought Hitomi.

They were giggling, and sighing, and laughing, and sighing and giggling some more. Then it dawned on her and she hurried away, leaving them to their privacy.

_Okay...who's stupid enough to leave the door open while having sex?_ she thought, revolted.

A voice inside her head replied. _Dilandau._

_Oh no, this means that he's not gay! Damn._ She felt a little disappointed because she had always thought he was gay and wanted to say it in his face to annoy the hell out of him.

Hitomi stifled a snicker and continued on her way. After bumping into several walls and statues, she found the kitchen at last. She started for the refrigerator but bumped into something soft and fleshy. She gasped and ran for cover.

But it was too late and the kitchen light flickered on. Hitomi peered from her hiding place behind the kitchen table and saw Folken's face looming down at her. She gasped and fell back flat on her butt.

Folken ruffled his wet hair and laughed softly. "You are too much."

Hitomi accepted his hand and Folken pulled her to her feet. It was then that she saw Folken was shirtless and he only had on silky black pajama pants. She stood in front of him feeling uncomfortable until she remembered what she had come into the kitchen for. She rummaged around the refrigerator and found a half filled carton of milk. She was about to chug it down when Folken took it from her. She glared menacingly at him.

"You don't want to drink from that," he simply said.

"And why not?" She tried to get it back but Folken held it above his head. She pouted.

"Because Dilandau does."

Hitomi thought back to what she had just witnessed and made a disgusted face. "Eww..."

Folken chuckled. "He doesn't have germs or anything—at least not any that I know of. Dilandau's a bit possessive about his milk. I'm not sure why though."

"Oh."

"You don't seem to like him very much. Would you mind telling me why you feel so?" he asked as he returned the milk to its original spot.

"Oh...you don't want to know," she said evasively. "Anyway, do you always eat snacks in the dark?"

"No," he laughed. "I left the refrigerator door open when I was drinking but I heard someone come down and closed it. I felt the urge to scare someone. Would you like some from my carton?"

"Uh...sure."

Folken poured her a glass of milk and handed it to her. As Hitomi drank, she realized that she had _seen_ him shirtless and felt a little guilty about it since Eriya had been on Vione longer and she actually wanted to see him like that. Hitomi didn't really want to, but saw anyway.

Her eyes kept wandering over to Folken's buff upper body; especially his six-pack. Eriya was right—Folken had a nice body. It wasn't extremely buff like body builders—just enough. And it made him seem so hot...the way they flexed when he moved—

_OH MY GOODNESS! What the hell am I thinking!_ She quickly gulped down her milk and for the life of her she managed to choke on it.

Folken was chugging the rest of the milk in the carton when he heard the sharp sound of breaking glass. He looked down to see Hitomi choking and coughing like there was no tomorrow. He knelt on his knees and began to firmly pat her back. After a minute or so, Hitomi's coughing subsided.

She placed both palms on the marble floor and breathed deeply in and out. Finally, she lifted her head to look and him and said in a croaky voice, "Thank you."

Folken helped her up. "You're welcome."

Before Hitomi could even make a move to pick up the shattered glass, Folken had scooped all of it with his metallic hand and discarded it into the trash dispenser.

"Wow, he's fast," she muttered quietly to herself.

Out of nowhere, Hitomi had a sudden impulse to touch the metal pieces. Her mind resisted but somehow her body wasn't listening. Her hands reached for his metal hand and slowly began to trace every section that connected to form the base of the hand and the fingers. Folken made no movement to retrieve his hand from her grasp.

"Can you feel this?" she asked lightly as she traced the metal on his forearm.

"Yes," he said quietly.

Hitomi planted a butterfly kiss on his palm. "How about that?"

"That too."

"Amazing. You know technology—"

Hitomi discovered that Folken was incredibly close to her. She was about to take a step back when Folken's metal claws gently stroked her back. A shiver ran down her spine and she didn't realize that his other hand was hung loosely on her waist.

Folken was so close to her that she could smell the crisp, spicy fragrance of his cologne. He was so close that she could feel his breath on the nape of her neck, slowing raising the tiny hairs there. He moved towards her lips and purposely paused. He felt Hitomi's breath quicken and grinned inwardly.

"How does it feel, Hitomi?" he asked softly. "When I do this?"

He made it look as if he was going to kiss her, but slyly moved down to her neck and paused, letting the heat from his breath warm the area. Then he kissed her neck so lightly that he doubted she even felt it. And then he sensed her surprise.

He moved to the other side, just below her ear, and asked teasingly, "Or this?"

He planted a firm kiss there and trailed several feathery kisses down to her collar bone. Hitomi shivered again and then felt his breath back on her lips. Folken slowly moved closer until there was only a particle of air keeping their lips separate. Hitomi closed her eyes. She could feel her heart racing, and—

"No," she said softly. She placed her hands on his chest in case he made a move. "I can't do this."

Folken dropped his hands from her waist and said in a cold voice, "I understand."

_He thinks it's because of his arm. But it's not!_ Hitomi bit her lip. "Folken, it's not that. It's just that I...I..."

"You what?" If it was possible, his eyes seemed even colder than his voice.

She let out a defeated sigh. There was no way of getting pass his protective barrier now. "Nothing."

For a moment he stared at her and then without another word, Folken left the kitchen and walked silently up the stairs.

"What have I gotten myself into?" Hitomi murmured. After glancing back reproachfully at the kitchen, she returned to her room.

The next morning Hitomi went downstairs for breakfast and was repulsed to see a shirtless Dilandau. He had a satisfied expression on his face. Dilandau looked up from eating and smirked at her before resuming his breakfast. She could not believe how annoying he was. He probably did it just to spite her.

She was about to open the refrigerator when Dilandau spoke up.

"There's nothing in there."

Hitomi turned. "Liar. I swear there was food in there last night."

"Well it's all gone now," he said flatly.

Because she didn't trust him, she opened the door anyway and saw that he was right. _Damn him_.

"By the way, did you see Folken in the morning? I checked his room and office but he wasn't there," asked Dilandau.

_Oh dear...I hope it wasn't because of last night_, thought Hitomi worriedly. But then she stopped herself. She hadn't done anything except reject his advances. And yet...she still felt somewhat guilty.

She brought her attention back to Dilandau. "Why are you half naked like that? It's disturbing."

He feigned surprise. "I thought you'd never notice."

"Ugh." She made a face. "Someone's full of himself."

"Obviously that can't be me."

_He's conceited as ever_. "Did you eat anything after twelve last night?"

"No...we—I mean I only had an apple," he said quickly. She heard him mutter a curse as he busied himself with cleaning up his breakfast.

Hitomi leaned on the counter and remembered what she had seen that night. "_We_, huh?" she teased, pretending she didn't know anything.

"No, I said _I_!" he snapped.

She grinned at him. "Come on, Dilandau. Tell me...did that particular person have white hair...and...blue eyes?"

He gave her an odd look. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

"...No, I don't," he said slowly.

"Yes, you do," she insisted.

"No, I don't. Okay you're starting to really creep me out. Am I missing something?"

Hitomi was confused. "Naria. Weren't you with her last night?"

"No. What the heck are you getting at?"

"I saw you with her last night!"

Dilandau stood up. "What? I was no where near her all day yesterday. Are you feeling all right?"

"But I freakin saw you with her. With my very own two eyes. It was around midnight and I was about to grab a snack when I saw you..." she trialed off hoping he would be mortified or he would at least yell at her. But he didn't—he looked absolutely clueless.

"Saw me...?"

"Fooling around with Naria,' she finished in a quiet voice.

"Huh, you saw me doing her. Interesting."

"You don't remember?"

"No...'cause I never did it."

"How can—were you drunk last night?"

"No...are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine dammit," she snapped. "If you weren't with Naria, then who was the other person?"

"..." Dilandau shifted in his seat, uncomfortable.

"Well?"

Still he refused to respond.

Hitomi placed her hands on her hips. "Tell me now or I'll permanently scar that hideous face of yours."

He glared at her before answering. "Folken."

Hitomi was rendered speechless. "_Folken_? What in the world?"

"I didn't want to tell you because you would have automatically assumed that I was doing something perverted with him just to prove that I was gay—which I'm not. So don't make any assumptions."

"Okay, I get it. But that's crazy 'cause _I_ was with Folken last night. We were drinking milk together!"

"What? That is impossible."

"How?"

"Because it just is," he replied furtively.

"What were you doing with Folken anyway?"

"We were going to wait for you to have dinner but you never showed up and we were practically starving half to death. So...we pigged out on what ever was in the fridge. Oh mannnn. I'll never do that again."

Hitomi raised an eyebrow. "And why is that?"

"We had an eating contest to see who could eat the most and I ate so much my stomach nearly exploded. Unfortunately, Folken won. Now I have to do what ever he wants me to do for a whole week. And that explains the empty fridge," he explained.

"Yea. Dilandau, something weird is going on. Either I'm turning delusional or you are."

"Well, we'll just have to wait and ask Folken what really happened."

"Ew," said Hitomi with a disgusted face.

"What?"

"I can't believe I'm having a normal conversation with you."

Dilandau rolled his red eyes. "The feeling's mutual, honey."

She jabbed a finger at him. "You just rolled your eyes!"

"What?"

"That's something GIRLS do. Not guys. It's just scary."

He smirked. "And I give a damn because...?"

"You're girly like that?"

"Damn, why do you always think I'm gay!" He turned away from her.

She turned her back as well. That way she wouldn't have to look at him when she was thinking. She sighed. Hitomi felt scared—no—frightened was more like it. What if this was a dream or what if what happened last night was one? How would she know if she was even awake at all?

"Do you think that this is a dream?" she asked.

Dilandau turned around again. "If you want I'll break your arm and then we'll see if this is a dream."

"No way! I'm not sacrificing my arm for that. Wait, Dilandau, I think I know where Folken is. Follow me. But first cover yourself. You look like a wannabe runway model."

Before he left he gave her a fierce glare. When he was done, Hitomi led him to Folken's secret room. This time it was dark and the only source of light came from the middle of the enormous room. It was eerily quiet.

"I've never heard of this place before," Dilandau whispered. "How did you know about it?"

"Eriya showed me. There he is."

"Where?" He craned his neck.

"My goodness. Are you stupid? Just look in the direction of the light."

He snickered quietly. "Folken will snap my neck if he ever saw me spying on him. What is he doing?"

"I don't know."

Hitomi saw Folken moving some vials around and examining them. She saw him jot down some notes. Then he began writing something on the vials.

"Dilandau. Hitomi." Folken's voice rang loud and clear, but he didn't sound angry. "I know you're there."

Hitomi's eyes widened. Dilandau shrugged and went over to Folken. Hitomi followed behind.

"Well, Folken. Your senses are as keen as ever," he remarked.

Folken stopped what he was doing and studied their faces. Finally he said, "Dilandau, I can smell that cologne of yours anywhere."

"I'm glad you like it."

"I don't," was Folken's blunt reply. He turned his attention to Hitomi. "What brings you here?"

"Well, something weird happened and we don't know which one of us is right. We were wondering if you could help us."

"What is your problem?"

Hitomi gave a shortened account of the chain of events as Folken listened with only a few interruptions by Dilandau. When she was finished, Folken placed his hand on her shoulder.

"And you want me to tell you what I did last night, am I correct?"

Hitomi and Dilandau nodded.

Folken touched a few vials. "Well, I was eating with Dilandau."

Hitomi's heart skipped a beat.

* * *

Van awoke with a start. He touched the part on his chest that covered his heart. He could have sworn it had skipped a bit. He glanced over at Merle. She was still asleep. He felt his heartbeat for a while but nothing happened. 

_Weird_, he thought. _Maybe I've been practicing too much_.

* * *

**A/N:** Yay! I'm finally done with chapter 4. It's extremely out of character but later on it's gonna change. Don't hurt me if you find any typos! I tried my bestest to correct the ones I saw. I hope you liked it this chappie and please review and give me your honest opinion! Thank you and have a nice day.

* * *


	5. Black Deceiver: Part 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Escaflowne or its characters. Escaflowne is the property of Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment. I'm just an innocent person who happened to write a fanfic on Escaflowne.

A/N: I simply must apologize for the EXTREME delay lol. Okay, just to let you know from here on down the story is going to take a huge turn and hopefully it will somewhat stay on the same path. It's not going to be extremely outrageously out of character. The story's kind of backwards right now, though so bear with me! This one is kinda short. I thank you very much for all the reviews! It's very motivating, believe me.

Oh! Darn those typos! I can't seem to catch all of them. They're tricky little beasts!

* * *

**Chapter 5**

**Black Deceiver : Part One

* * *

**

Hitomi placed a hand on her forehead. "But...that can't be true."

Dilandau smirked. "I always knew you were crazy."

"Shut up, ugly!"

"Jeez..."

Folken looked concernedly at her. "Are you certain it wasn't just a dream? Sometimes our dreams can seem real."

"I'm sure it was real. I remember it so clearly and I remember how it felt too. If it was a dream it was too vivid. I actually felt milk going down my throat and I...remember you..." She was too embarrassed to continue.

Folken and Dilandau exchanged glances and began whispering to each other. Hitomi felt that they knew something they didn't want her to know. She watched them, her doubts arising. Finally Folken spoke up.

"Hitomi, would you please sit down for a minute? Thank you. Relax, Hitomi. You seem quite tense."

She did as he bid and leaned against the chair. She heard Dilandau and him whispering to each other some more. Then she heard something being rolled and she looked behind her. Naria was pushing a large, strange machine-looking thing, but it didn't look out of place in Folken's lab. There was a tray containing a row of needles and tubes.

A voice whispered in her ear. It was Folken. "Relax."

Something pierced her skin and was drawing her blood. Before she had time to react, the needle was taken out.

She rubbed her arm. "What the heck was that for?"

"I need your blood, Hitomi." Folken placed a vial of her blood on the tray.

She stared in horror at the gleaming tube. Suddenly she flashed back to when something had pricked her back and she had thought it was Folken's claws. _He had injected something into me!_

"You put something in me before, didn't you?" she asked angrily.

Folken nodded slowly. "Yes."

"What was it supposed to do to me?"

"You were supposed to experience several realistic illusions. However, we discovered that you were not ready yet. Dilandau noticed and informed me."

"You and Dilandau were in this together?" she uttered in disbelief. All this time, they were just using her for this...this Fate Redirector experiment of theirs. She couldn't believe she had trusted them only to be deceived in return.

Once again, he nodded.

Her heart sank. "Why?"

"You already know the answer to that."

She was confused. How could she possibly know?

Dilandau finally decided to speak up. "It's not that bad. Really."

"How can you say that?" she yelled. "You all lied me! You fooled me into thinking that I could trust you and be one of you. It was an act from the very moment I laid my eyes on your filthy—"

Hitomi began to stand up when Folken forced her down into her seat. He had Dilandau strap her arms to the armrest and bind her legs. She remembered how familiar this felt. She remembered the very day that Dilandau had tied her up. And now he was doing just the same.

"Do not make me have to hurt you," Folken said passively.

"You WILL let me go or I will yell and scream until I die."

Folken placed a finger under her chin. "You will do no such thing. Besides no one can hear you. You are high above civilization. Think about it, Hitomi."

After a moment's pause, she spat bitterly, "Why didn't you just do this to me in the beginning? Why go through all this trouble?"

Dilandau sat on the table in front of her. "We needed to test you...to play with you a little. I must say it was rather a thrilling experience."

Folken merely glanced at Dilandau. "Let us just say that we needed something and it will not be easy to obtain. But with it we will be able to live in a world without war. No more Guymelefs...no more bloodshed."

"But how is isolating yourself from the rest of the world a reason to live? All you ever see are walls every where you turn. You even house a whole chamber full of Zaibach Guymelefs. And what about the Dragon Slayers? They aren't any better than the people down on Gaea," Hitomi shot back.

Folken looked sadly down at her. "You do not understand." He turned away from her and beckoned to Naria. She held up a large vial full of a yellowish, diluted fluid. She handed it to Folken's open palm.

Hitomi's heartbeat began to pick up its rhythm. "Then explain to me."

"Indeed I shall. At any rate, it won't matter after this." Folken inserted the vial into the needle enclosure. He squirted some of the fluid into the air. "Do you recall the times when I was no where to be found?"

Hitomi nodded.

"And do you remember when Eriya told you that I was usually in my lab? It was all a lie to lead you astray, Hitomi. I have been conversing and reporting all of your activities. What you do not know is that we have been working on the Fate Redirector during my absences. It is nearly complete now. We almost have the power to harness its true power. It is only a hair's length away. Imagine what we could do with that kind of power, Hitomi. We can create a world that we could have only dared to imagine."

She glared at him. "And what seems to be holding you back from abusing that power?"

He closed his eyes. "Hitomi, Hitomi, Hitomi. You still do not seem to have grasped the meaning of my words. I have talked to you of Atlantis, yes?"

"Yea, but what's your point?"

"Try to remember, Hitomi. The Atlanteans possessed much power," he said mysteriously.

Hitomi was silent. She thought back to the conversation they had the other day but she could not remember what it was that he had told her. "I can't."

"I presume it is better that you do not."

Folken swept the hair away from her neck. Hitomi stiffened as she felt something sharp penetrate the skin on the back of her neck. She was sure it was a needle injecting some sort of liquid into her blood stream. A sharp numbing pain quickly followed after.

She whimpered and bit her lip from letting a sob escape. "What are you doing to me?"

"Do not worry. It will take a while for it to fully affect your system, but it is not going to harm you," Folken said calmly. He returned the needle to Naria, who put it back on the tray. "I would suggest that you relax. It won't hurt as much."

"I demand that you tell me what you put in me NOW!" Hitomi attempted to jerk her arms from her restraints but a sudden wave of dizziness and nausea washed over her. The room slowly became out of focus. Then she began to feel weak and tired. She couldn't get her eyes to stay open.

_No,_ she thought, _this must be some dream—an illusion to fool me._

The last thing she heard before blacking out was Dilandau's lighthearted comment.

"I'm going to miss that fiery little spirit."

* * *

"Hitomi!" yelled a familiar high pitched voice.

She stirred in her sleep and upon hearing that voice her eyes snapped open. _Could it be?_

The voiced yelled again. "WAKE UP! You're gonna be late—"

Hitomi threw the blanket aside and climbed down from her bed. Her feet met with soft cushiony material. She looked down to find her feet sinking into an ocean of clean white carpet. Posters were tacked up on the walls and a calendar as well. There was a computer sitting patiently on a finely polished cedar wood desk. She was in her room. She was back home on Earth.

_Was it just a dream?_

She heard heavy footsteps pounding up the stairs and coming toward her room. Loud knocking against her door followed. And then the same high pitched voice yelled. "Hitomi, honey, are you up yet? Your little friend, what was her name...Yukari! She is waiting for you downstairs."

The dream had been so vivid that it seemed as if she was physically and spiritually present. And yet somehow the minute she woke up she had no recollection of what had occurred in her dream. She only remembered the lingering feelings and distortion of images.

_Was it all just a dream? It felt so real but how come I cannot remember? Yukari once said that sometimes when you wake up you don't know what's real anymore..._

She found her school uniform draped over her chair and put it on. She slipped her shoes on and headed downstairs into the kitchen where Yukari stood with a ball of flavored rice in her hands.

"Hey, Hitomi!" Yukari practically strangled her as she rushed to give Hitomi a tight embrace. "I missed you so much!"

Hitomi wondered what day it was. It seemed so long ago that she had been in her own house. She couldn't remember the last time she had checked the calendar or the last time she ahd seen Yukari. Could it be that this wasn't real either?

_Maybe I'm suffering from some sort of amnesia,_ she reassured herself.

Yukari finished the rest of her rice and gave Hitomi's arm a squeeze. "Come on. I have something to tell you."

"What is it?"

Yukari leaned in and whispered quietly. "It's about Amano."

"Is he alright?"

"Come." Yukari grabbed Hitomi's wrist and was about to drag her outside when Hitomi's mother stopped them.

Mrs. Kanzaki handed Hitomi a rice ball. "I will not allow you to leave this house without breakfast."

"Okay, Mother." Hitomi bit into the rice as Yukari dragged her out of the house.

They walked in silence for a while. Hitomi finished the rest of her rice.

Yukari spoke. "Where were you yesterday after school? I tried calling you on your beeper but you never called me back."

_When was this?_ Hitomi couldn't remember. Had it only been yesterday? But it seemed so far away. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she insisted. "I wanted to talk to you about Amano."

"What is it?" Hitomi felt her heart beat faster.

Yukari looked down. "He said...he has feelings for—"

Hitomi covered her ears. She didn't want to hear it but she already knew what Yukari was going to say. Amano never liked her. He had always seemed to like Yukari much more than Hitomi herself. "Stop, Yukari."

"It's not what you think, Hitomi. Amano has feelings for you," Yukari continued quietly.

Hitomi looked up. "What?"

They had reached the school. Hitomi waited for some sort of response from Yukari but received none. The rest of the day Yukari had avoided Hitomi so Hitomi had no one to walk home with after track practice. For some strange reason, she felt very much relieved. She realized that Yukari liked, no _loved_, Amano but Hitomi didn't want that to come between the friendship that they had forged for a while now. Even with the thought of Amano actually liking her didn't make her feel as happy as she should've usually felt. But then again it wasn't everyday that your best friend walks away from you.

That evening when she was done with her homework, her head began to ache, a dull pulsating throb. _Oh dear, it feels like a tumor is growing inside my head—at a very fast rate._ She groaned inwardly and sprawled across her bed and drifted into a deep, mesmerizing slumber. Sometime in the middle of the night, she felt like she couldn't breathe.

_Is this what it feels like to die in your sleep?_

She woke up. Her heart beat was beginning to pick up and for no gosh darn reason. She pressed her hands to her chest to quiet the beating of her heart. It seemed to grow only louder in the quiet darkness of her room. It was impossible how loud it sounded. And then she couldn't hear her heart anymore but she could still feel it beating like a steady drum being played. A long prolonged silence filled the room and then a single soft tingling note played in the air and a beam of light shot down from the ceiling and into her heart. She felt the light merging within her body as she was lifted from her bed.

_I think I'm witnessing my own ascension into heaven. What a good girl I must have been._

She was dead wrong.

* * *

"Dilandau, sir," spoke Chesta through his speaker to Dilandau.

"What is it?"

"We've spotted them, sir."

Dilandau chuckled through the speaker. "Good. Follow them—but DO NOT get caught."

Chesta nodded even though he knew Dilandau couldn't see it. "Yes, sir."

He activated the Stealth Cloak and motioned to the other Dragonslayers to carefully trail after Escaflowne.

* * *

"Hey, Van!" shouted an incredibly high pitched voice.

Hitomi opened her eyes and shielded it from the bright sun ray that was shining directly down on her. She carefully took in her surrounding and contemplated for a bit. She was lying on dense grass and there were trees all around her. Surely she must be dreaming, but it didn't feel like it. She could feel the dew dampening her back and smell the sweetness of wet grass and flowers.

"Look, she's awake! Hi, I'm Merle."

_Was this a dream? What is happening to me?_ Hitomi continued to lie on the grass.

A bright pink hair girl bounded down toward Hitomi. She looked about 14 or possibly 13 and she was wearing some sort of rag as a dress and a tail was pinned under her dress, a tail that seemed to move with a life of its own—

"Oh gods!" Hitomi scrambled to get away from the girl. "You're a cat!"

"Of course, silly. What? You've never seen a cat before?" Merle asked in disbelief.

"But you're half human and half cat. That is impossible."

"I am evidence of that, aren't I?" she replied curtly.

The girl was right, but she didn't have to be so rude about it. Hitomi heard steady footsteps coming their way and saw a tall young man approach them. An untouchable vibe emitted from him.

Merle turned to Hitomi. "That's Lord Van."

When he reached them, he stared intently at Hitomi. Then he turned and addressed Merle. "Where'd you find her?"

"Right here. She was asleep right here when I saw her."

Then he turned to Hitomi. "What is your purpose here?"

"Huh? I don't know...I don't even know where I am."

"Hmm..."

Hitomi wasn't sure if that was made to sound scornful or something like but she sure saw the disdainful expression on his face. "What?"

The Van's eyes had a spark of wild fire behind them. "...are you mentally retarded?"

"Excuse me? Does it look like I am?"

"Well, in a way, yes. I mean, you had this dumbfound look on your face and you didn't know how you got here. So I assumed you were retarded and got lost and you couldn't find your way back home," he said a matter of factly.

It was as if he was insulting her butwithout trying to. She felt as if someone had just slapped her across the face. "Well, don't assume so much next time."

"Who said there was going to be a next time?"

Hitomi ignored this and got on her feet. "Where am I anyway? Nothing here looks familiar."

Merle spoke up. "We're just outside of Fanelia. That's Van's kingdom. It's _beautiful_."

"Fanelia..." Hitomi let the sound of the word sink in. "I've never heard of Fanelia before."

"You're not from around here, are you?"

"No...no, I'm not."

"Come," Van spoke. "Since I don't know what to do with you, I'll have to take you to my castle. Maybe then you'll remember and we can figure out what happened to you."

He disappeared for a while. Suddenly heavy, rumbling footsteps came there way. Hitomi saw a large humanoid mecha appear and head toward them. She was afraid it was going to start wrenching trees from their ancient roots and crushing her in its large powerful hands.

"Climb on," came Van's voice from inside the machine. The mask opened to reveal him sitting inside a compartment. He moved his hands and the machine's hand opened up to let the cat girl clamber on. "Hurry."

Hitomi cautiously stepped onto the hands and felt a wave a dizziness hit her as the machine stood up, raising her and the cat girl into the air. She desperately clung onto one of the fingers in case she fell to her death. As they went through the town the townspeople appeared all over the place just to catch a glimpse of them. Some even threw flower petals over their balcony while excited gasps and murmurs could be heard from others.

When they reached the castle, Hitomi remained hidden in the shadows while Van was greeted by his advisors and his court. Hitomi caught sight of a huge, tall man who actually made Van look small and vulnerable. The man had a long scar running down the left eyebrow to the eye and ended at his cheek bone. He also had another on the right side of his face. She noticed how close they seemed. She looked around the hall and saw long tapestries on the walls that bore Fanelia's sacred insignia. She had also seen the emblem on Van's sword.

Merle sneaked up behind Hitomi, who flinched, and whispered in a creepy voice. "Lord Van is a magnificent warrior and mustn't be tainted by foreigners."

Hitomi placed her hands on her hips. "Who said I wanted to 'taint' him!"

The whole court turned to stare rudely at her and Merle stuck her tongue out at her.

"Sorry." Hitomi's eyes fell to the floor.

"Van," the tall man said in an amused voice. "I see you've brought back a fair maiden with you."

Hitomi's eyes widened. "What? I'm not his—He's not—"

Van cleared his throat. "What she means to say is we are not lovers."

"Damn right," Merle muttered under her breath with a gleaming glance at Hitomi.

"Oh? Then who is she and why have you brought her here?"

Hitomi suddenly felt all eyes on her again, but this time it was for a different reason. She shifted, feeling uncomfortable.

"We found her lying unconscious near the outskirts of Fanelia. She has no idea how she got there," Van answered.

"Hmm, I see. What is your name?"

"Hitomi Kanzaki."

"Welcome to Fanelia, Hitomi. I am Balgus and I am pleased to meet your acquaintance." Balgus bowed deeply.

"It's, uh, nice to meet you too, Balgus."

Balgus insisted that they all sit down while he inquired about Hitomi. She told him that she didn't remember anything at all.

He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Do you remember a beam of light? In the stories that my mother had once told me there was a brilliant beam of light shining down on the chosen one, and after it flashed he was brought to our land from the Mystic Moon."

_Mystic Moon?_ She made note of it to ask Van about it later. "I'm not sure of what I saw or had seen. The memories seem to besome where in the distance and unreachable...like I'm in the middlea thick fog and I don't know where I am."

"It appears as if you suffer from amnesia. How bad I am uncertain of."

_Huh, I am suffering from amnesia...how is it possible?_ Hitomi felt an army of goose bumps march over her body.

_Am I still dreaming?

* * *

_

**A/N: **Well here is the first part! I hope it wasn't too weird and confusing. Didn't it take a huge turn? Lol. Please read and review and tell me what you think of this chappie. Part 2 should be posted much, much faster—hopefully.

* * *


	6. Black Deceiver: Part 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Escaflowne or its characters. Escaflowne is the property of Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment. I'm just an innocent person who happened to write a fanfic on Escaflowne.

A/N: Yay, new readers! This is awesome. I give you all my thanks for the reviews. It's so supportive you guys. Well, how did you like Part 1? It wasn't too confusing, was it? Anyway I'll just let you guys read and enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 6**

**Black Deceiver: Part 2**

**

* * *

**

Hitomi returned to her bed chambers after dinner and took off her coat. She was about to undress when she heard a soft rustle. She turned around to see the king of Fanelia leaning against the door way with his arms crossed. For a moment no words were exchanged as Van's flashing red-brown eyes penetrated her troubled green ones.

What did he want with her? It was all she could do to break away from his gaze.

Finally he spoke in that smooth, low voice of his. "What business do you have here?"

"You keep asking me that," she said flatly.

"I know, but I want an honest answer."

"I _am_ giving you an honest answer. Can't you be satisfied with that?"

"You appeared to have had a mild case of amnesia...surely you must remember by now?"

"Of course not," she snapped.

Van uncrossed his arms and let one rest on the hilt of his sword. "You hesitated when Balgus asked you about seeing a beam oflight."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Hitomi quickly glanced over at Van. He did not seem to have the bearings of a king. He didn't have the stance of a noble king that Hitomi would've expected. A king would hold himself with confidence and a head held up high, would demand the attention of his subjects with every breath that came from his mouth.

But this king, this Van of Fanelia...there was something about him that caught one's eye. There was something wild and dangerous lurking about his spirit as well as ahooded, brooding darkness. But the pride in his eyes showed like bright glittering jewel shards.

"You are lying."

Hitomi's eyes narrowed. "I am not!"

"Prove it."

"This is absurd. How can I prove something I cannot recall?"

"Since you can't remember now, I'll leave you to rest your brain so that you _can_ remember when I return. Good night."

Hitomi felt relieved when he left. He had made it seem as if she was some sort of criminal that had to be interrogated before she could be trusted. She undressed and slipped between the cool blankets of her bed. She was soon lulled to sleep by the even rhythm of her breathing.

She was awakened the next morning by a faint humming. Hitomi peeked through her eyes and screamed at the sight of a pink haired girl with ears and a swishing tail. The girl jumped and landed in front of Hitomi and let out a softhiss. Hitomi stared wide-eyed at her. The girl threw her head back and laughed. Around her neck was Hitomi's cherished pendant.

_Merle._ Hitomi found her voice. "Give that back!"

Merle looked down at the glimmering pendant and when she looked back up a mischievous grin was plastered on her face. "You mean this?"

"Yes."

"But it's so pretty."

"Please give it back to me. It's mine."

The grin was still on Merle's face. She took off the necklace and held it in front of Hitomi's face. Before Hitomi had lifted her hand Merle snatched it back. "Catch me if you can."

Merle dashed off with a cat's speed and agility. Hitomi ran after her, matching Merle's speed and agility with as much of her own. Merle led her around many curves and corridors. Hitomi was so close now that she could practically grab Merle by the collar. She sped up a little and was about reach for Merle when she crashed into the wall, but it couldn't hvae been a wall. It felt too cushiony to have been one. She heard Merle burst intopeels oflaughter asHitomi hit the floor like a sack of potatoes. The back of her head throbbed. She rolled over on her side and lied like that as she tried to catch her breath.

"What's going on here?" an amused voice inquired. It was Van.

Hitomi turned her head and saw that he was rubbing his chest, a grin emerging from the corner of his mouth. She guessed that the "wall" she had run into was actually Van. He seemed sort of carefree today.

Merle was hiding behind him with a smug look directed at Hitomi. "Nothing, Lord Van."

Hitomi stood up and jabbed a finger at Merle. "She stole my—"

Merle thrusted the pendant in front of Hitomi. "I was only looking at it."

Hitomi clasped the necklace around her neck as she glared at Merle. She heard Van laugh softly.

"So I see you two have become acquainted with each other," he said while his eyes twinkled. "Now that this is settled, shall we have breakfast? After, there is someone who desires to speak with you, Hitomi."

When breakfast was over Van led Hitomi to an encampment near the outskirts of Fanelia. When Hitomi had asked him why he didn't use a different form of transportation other than walking he had replied that he simplywanted to enjoy the thriving beauty of Fanelia's peaceful kingdom.She caught a hint of sadness in his voice, as if something was going to happen to Fanelia.She saw men sprawled about idling or flirting with the young women in the river washing clothes. Lush green grass matted the fertile ground like a thick fur blanket. Flowery aromas floated in the air.

Van beckoned Hitomi to stick close to him or suffer the stares of the men. They reached a tent much larger than the rest. Van entered the tent and Hitomi followed. Inside were a group of four men: two standing guard at opposite sides and two examining a scroll on the table. They both looked up when Van and Hitomi entered.

The long blonde haired man stood up and strode over to them, a smile evident on his lips. "Van, it's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you too, Allen."

The man named Allen turned on his heels to face Hitomi, who shrunk from intimidation by his boldness. She was shocked by Allen's extreme resemblance to Amano. If he cut his hair and dyed it brown she would not be able to tell them apart. A smile danced across Allen's periwinkle eyes. Though he addressed Van, his eyes never left hers.

"Is this the girl?"

Van nodded.

"So you are the girl from the Mystic Moon," Allen said in a curious voice.

There was that word again. The name had a familiar ring to it. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Is it not the place from where you came?"

Could he be talking of her home planet? "You mean, Earth?"

Allen tilted his head to the side. A strand of hair fell across his smooth forehead. "What is this Earth you speak of?"

How could she explain to them to help them understand? "It's where I live. It looks just like this planet you live on...perhaps it _is_ the same planet...except in a different time..."

Allen looked thoughtful. "This Earth of yours must be the Mystic Moon."

"What makes you think that she's from there?" asked Van from Hitomi's right.

"Well her clothes certainly explains it, don't you think?"

Van fell silent.

Allen turned to Hitomi. "What is your name?"

"Hitomi."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Hitomi. I am Knight Caeli, Allen Schezar. But I have a feeling you already knew that." He gave her a charming smile. "That over there is my most trusted commander and friend, Gaddes."

The handsome blue haired man bowed and smiled at her. "Good morning, Lady Hitomi."

"Oh, you don't have to call me that. I'm just Hitomi."

Allen took her hand and held it. "But my lady, you are being too modest. Your eyes are much too lovely and cannot be betrayed by such a title."

Hitomi blushed andshook her head. "It sounds too fancy."

The sparkle in his eyes returned. "Come. I shall introduce you to my men."

Hitomi looked over at Van to see if he objected. He didn't. For that matter, he wasn't even paying attention. Van was chatting away with Gaddes over the piece of scroll. She followed Allen out of the tent. Allen swept a hand over the group of men Hitomi had seen earlier. They awoke from their lethargic state once Allen was present among them.

"Men! I have someone here I would like you all to meet. This is Lady Hitomi or as she would rather prefer, Hitomi. She feels it's too fancy a title!" Allen announced merrily.

A few scattered chuckles rippled through the sea of men. A large burly man shouted.

"Where'd you find here? She looks exotic."

Another yelled, "Is she to be your mistress?"

"She's pretty," someone said shyly. Another wave of laughter washed over them, some even hooted.

Hitomi could feel her face match the color of the shirt on Van's chest and tried to cover her face with her hair, which didn't exactly work since it was too short.

Allen grinned at her. "Don't mind them. They're usually a little rowdy this time of day."

There was a sudden shout from beyond the forest and a sentry rode in by horse as swift as a bullet. He stopped the horse right outside Allen's tent. He stepped down and whispered something in Allen's ear. Now the smile was absent from his lips.

Van emerged from the tent to see what was happening. He looked questioningly at the sentry's disheveled appearance but didn't say anything. After a moment Allen whispered for several second to Van, who nodded his agreement or acknowledgement. Hitomi felt clueless and felt that it would be wrong for her to intrude.

Van approached Hitomi. "Let's go. We're going back to the castle."

"What happened?"

"It's nothing."

"That's not what it looked like."

He watched her. "It's none of your business."

"I have every right to know! It's useless to keep me ignorant. What if something happened and I didn't know and I _died_?"

"I couldn't care less," he muttered.

Hitomi glared at him.

"Now, now. Don't keep the lady waiting, Van," Allen teased as he came up from behind them. He winked at her. She blushed again.

"Fine," agreed Van through clenched teeth. "There was a slight breach at Fanelia's front. It's nothing you should worry about."

"You're wrong, Van. You should never overlook the slightest of penetrations," Allen said softly. "I'll have some of my men over there and report of its condition. We wouldn't want anything to happen."

When they returned, Van went off somewhere leaving Hitomi lost in the compartments of the building. After exploring for a while Hitomi finally found her room. She was astonished by the state it was in. It was as if someone was desperately looking for something. Everything she had in her duffel bag was strewn all about the room. Even the sheets on the bed were undone. Hitomi assumed that it was Merle who was looking for the pendant.

"Merle! Come in here right now!" Hitomi yelled out into the hallway, hoping that Merle was around.

She heard cautious footsteps and saw Merle coming her way. Hitomi thought she looked innocent of having committed any crimes.

"Yes?" Merle asked as she peered into Hitomi's disastrous room. "Whoa. What the heck happened here? It looks like a tornado crashed your room."

"I was about to ask you the same. Why were you in my room and why were you looking through my things?"

"Me? I was never in your room."

"Liar!"

"But it's true! Besides, I already looked inside your bag this morning when you were still asleep."

"Why you..." Hitomi was about to wring Merle's neck off when a sudden shock hit her. "If you weren't inhere then who could it have been?"

They stared wide-eyed at each other andMerle dashed out of the room a second later.

"Hey! Come back!" Hitomi yelled after her.

As she stood up a gloved hand slipped over her mouth. She struggled but it was useless. Her perpetrator was too strong. Beads of sweatbegan to formon her forehead. She spotted a sheathed sword on the person and wrapped her fingers around its cool hilt. A sudden flash of déjà vu hit her before she pulled the sword free. The perpetrator backed away in surprise.

Hitomi spun around with the sword held steady in front of her. Who she saw surprisedher out of her wits.

"I had no idea you were familiar with a sword," Van said calmly.

"I'm not."

"By the looks of it...you are."

"But I'm not."

"Stubborn fool."

"I am not a fool!"

He laughed softly. "It appears so. Now give me back my sword."

"You won't hurt me if I do?"

"I won't."

She hesitated. "How will I know you won't?"

Van gave an exasperated sigh. "I just gave you my word, didn't I?"

Slowly and reluctantly she let him retrieve his sword. What he said as she did so disturbed her.

"I could just as easily take it from you before you'd even realize it," he whispered in her ear.

He left her shuddering. She had no idea what this man—this king—was capable of. But she knew he was unpredictable.

Van finally took notice of the room's messy composure. "What happened in here?"

"I don't know. It was like this when I came in."

He raised an eyebrow. "You mean it wasn't like this before?"

"No. What were you doing in my room anyway? You weren't the one who did this, were you?"

But he seemed to be lost in his thoughts. And then he left without a word. Hitomi was perplexed by this sudden action.

She spent the whole afternoon reorganizing the room and noticed that nothing was missing. Whoever had been in her room was looking for something that she obviously didn't have. They must have been in the wrong room. They could've mistaken hers for Van's. With one final glance out toward the hillside, she closed the paneled windows.

"Lady Hitomi?"

Hitomi turned around. "Yes?"

The maid cleared her throat. "Lord Van sent me to tell you that dinner will be served in approximatelyan hour. I will get the bath ready, if you wish."

Hitomi felt an extreme headache coming on. "Yes, that would be very nice."

"Okay."

"Thank you."

The maid looked up with a start as if she wasn't used to hearing words of gratitude. Then a small smile appeared on her shy lips. "You're welcome, Lady Hitomi."

Moments later, the maid came back to announce that the bath was ready. She was eager to help Hitomi undress but Hitomi generously declined. She wasn't used to the idea of having someone stand there while she bathed. By now her headache was similar to that of a jack hammer pounding against a double layered wall……..like it was trying very hard to break a hole through her skull.

Hitomi only rested her eyes for a few seconds, or perhaps it was a minute but that was all it took for herto slip into a trance-like state. Hitomi felt as if she was in the actual scene of a battle between two unworldly creatures. She was suspended in the air, defying the very laws of gravity, as she watched the gruesome match. Sparks of anger ignited the atmosphere. A sense of deep foreboding hung loosely in the air as well. She felt agitated. She didn't want to see such treacherous violence. It made her sick to see blood spurting from wounds caused by heavily crafted swords.

She shut her eyes hoping to rid the images from her mind but she could still see it. Metal flashed and clanged against metal. Hitomi felt strangely suffocated. No matter how deeply she breathed there was less and less air entering her strained lungs. At last the warriors gave a cry of utter despair. Or was it her own cry that she had heard?

Something wet slowly trickled down her thigh. Hitomi looked down and saw that she had a large gash across her side. She didn't feel anything painful—just an aching. She saw one of the warriors fall on his knees, clutching his side and gasping. Hitomi, too, fell and saw her bright blood flowing and uniting with the warrior's. It was then that she felt the terrible, searing pain in her side. It pierced her heart every time she breathed. She squeezed her eyes shut.

When she opened them again, she realized that she was being violently jerked to and fro. She opened her mouth to gasp for air but instead of air entering, a wave of water gushed in. She choked and sputtered, her lungs burning desperately for oxygen.

The person had finally ceased jolting the life out of her and was leaning over the tub. When Hitomi recovered her breath she looked up into the face of Van de Fanel. And she screamed.

"You pervert! What do you think you're doing in here?" she yelled at him. Thank goodness she had been taking a very bubbly bubble bath. But still with all the movement caused by him shaking her……she sunk deeper into the water.

Van averted his gaze. "I was trying to save your damn life! If I hadn't come in when I did you would've drowned your sorry ass."

"Well, _sorry_ if your clothes got all wet." The sarcasm was evident in her tone of voice.

He got up and beckoned to someone. "Eni! Bring a towel please."

The maid from before appeared with a large royal blue towel and handed it to him. He gave a nod and she left.

"Here. Get dressed."

Van held out the towel and doing so forgot to look somewhere else.

"Cover your eyes!"

"Oh." He turned with his arm still extended.

"Do you honestly think I would change with you standing right there? Get out!"

"Damn privacy issues," Van muttered before heading out. He felt a barof soapfly past his head.Despite his grim countenance, a grin crept to his lips. He paused at the door way. "You weren't trying to drown yourself, were you?"

"Of course not. I won't allow myself to die here."

He smirked, though she didn't see. "I see."

Hitomi quickly dried herself off and dressed. She found Van waiting for her outside in the hallway. He was leaning against the wall.

"Took you long enough."

He didn't even wait for her to catch up to him before he started walking.

Hitomi clutched her hands. "Sorry about earlier……"

Van looked behind at her. "I didn't ask for your apology."

"Agh, fine then. I take it back." _Arrogant bastard._ One minute he was hospitable and the next……..an arrogant bastard! She apologized and he should have appreciated it.

"I'm afraid dinner won't be nice and hot anymore," he said dryly. "And it will only be you and me. Everyone else ate while I came to get you."

"Van!" A figure ran toward them and clung to Van's arm. "There you are."

"Merle, did you eat yet?"

"No. I wanted to wait for you." _And keep an eye on that sneaky girl._ She narrowed her eyes at Hitomi when Van wasn't looking.

Hitomi returned it with a glare. Unfortunately Van saw.

"What the heck are you glaring at?"

"Nothing. An eyelash was caught in my eye. That's all."

He looked like he didn't believe her but didn't say anything. All through dinner there was a silent bickering between Hitomi and Merle. Hitomi couldn't understand why Merle was so defensive and protective of Van. Merle seemed to show quite an affection for Van though.

Hitomi retired to her room after because she didn't want Merle staring her down any further. She opened the window and leaned out, enjoying the gentle breeze that played through her hair.

She glanced up at the two moons or whatever it was that marked nearly the whole sky. One of them was larger than the other. She could barely make out the familiar shapes through the dense formation of clouds. Unexpectedly she heard a sword slashing in the air. Hitomi followed the continuous sound out to the flat roof.

Van suddenly stopped and turned his head half way to the left, as if he was trying to listen for something. Then he fully turned around and his eyes fell on Hitomi's silhouette.

"Oh, it's you."

"Well, I'm happy to see you too. What are you doing up here?"

"What does it look like?"

"…………."

He sighed. "I'm exercising my skills. I always have to be ready."

"For what?"

"Anything that happens. I must be able to defend my kingdom. I am king, afterall."

"Hmm. At least the views nice."

Van stabbed his sword at the two planets in the sky. "Do you know what that is?"

"No………" She looked carefully and saw that he was pointing to the bigger one.

"That is the Mystic Moon, or Earth as you call it."

"You're kidding." Hitomi craned her head to get a better look at it. She reached for the Earth with an outstretched hand. "I never knew there was another live-able planet outside of Earth. It looks so close, and yet it's so far away."

Van tossed her a spare sword. She caught it. "You miss your home, don't you?"

She ran her finders along the smooth edge of the emerald sheath and nodded. "Yes, I do."

"Duel with me."

"What?"

"Come on."

"But I don't know how to handle a sword."

"Just do it. You'll never learn unless you try."

She looked at him. "Who said I wanted to learn."

Van threw his head back and laughed. "It doesn't matter. I'll teach you."

Hesitantly, she drew the sword from its sheath. The Fanelian emblemglimmered under the luminous moonlight. The sword weighed a little heavy in her hands. The leather bound hilt fitted comfortably in her palm.

"Try and cut me with it," he instructed with a teasing manner.

"What? No way. I'm not a murderer."

He smirked. "I didn't tell you to kill me. I said to only cut. There's a big difference between kill and cut, Hitomi."

She glared at him. "I know that. But if you keep it up then I might just have to."

He ignored her. "Try to find your balance or else you'll topple over when I block."

Hitomi lunged at him hoping to catch him of guard but his reflexes were quick. The sword was surprisingly easy to maneuver. She advanced several times only to have her attacks blocked over and over again. Soon sweat began to roll down her forehead due to all her exertions. And her arms began to ache. She didn't realize how much she had to move around in order to advanceupon Van.

"Stop," she panted. "Stop, I'm tired."

The side of Van's lips curved. "What, already?"

"Yes! Unless you're blind, can't you see how hard I'm breathing?" She used the sword as a means of support.

He leaned toward her. "Say the magic word."

_Ugh._ He expected her to bow down to him like a loyal servant. "Kiss my ass."

"If that's how you feel..." Van raised his sword and tapped hers with it.

Hitomi knocked his away. "You are a cruel and unusual monster."

"I may be a monster but a least I don't look like you," he countered.

"Damn you."

"Say it and I'll leave you alone."

"I'd rather die."

He smirked again. "As you wish."

She blocked his sword and made it look as if she was going to slash him on the right but shifted her grip and brought the sword down the left. She surprised herself. Hitomi did not know where she had learned to do that. Van was equally surprised.

He lowered his weapon. "Where did you learn that technique?"

"I don't know...it just sort of came to me."

Van's eyes were full of suspicion. "You claim that you cannot use a sword and yet the skills that you have just displayed...you have been lying to me."

"I wasn't lying. Why are you so suspicious of me? It's not like I could do anything to you."

"Women have their ways."

She glared athim. "So you're saying that women can't be trusted? That's not true. Men are the ones that can't be trusted. They can'tseem to usetheir brain when they need to."

"And what, exactly, are you implying?"

She was going to say that men don't think before acting, therefore they were more prone to make mistakes. But she didn't want to aggravate him and remained silent. She could almost feel the laughter emitting from him. She carefully placed the sword back in its sheath and somehow the sheath was knocked from her hands. She looked up into the face of a man with a wild look in his eyes and scars of experience. Several more men were creeping towards them.

"Hitomi, get behind me," ordered Van. He had his sword out andready to hack into someone's flesh.

She immediately obeyed him. The men that had sneaked upon them were professionals so it was no wonder she didn't hear them approaching. In her haste, Hitomi had forgotten the sword.

"Who sent you here?" Van demanded.

The man laughed. "Why do you wish to know? Once I have slain you there will be no point in answering that question. I believe I do not want to waste my breath on the likes of you."

"Was it Dilandau?"

At the sound of the name, Hitomi felt as if she was sucked into a portal. It sounded familiar as if she had heard it before.

"Come now, did you think he would really send us? For gods' sake, boy! He would have sent a whole fleet of Dragonslayers! I have come for a different reason, king of Fanelia. I wish to take the girl."

"Her?" Van sounded amused. "What makes you think I'll hand her over?"

The man grinned evilly. "I see you are eager to keep her, which means she is all the more valuable."

"I didn't say I wanted to keep her. I merely implied that you were going to have to fight to get her."

"Van! How dare you?" Hitomi felt indignant.

Van smirked in return. "Don't worry."

The man laughed again. "All right then. I say this shall be worthwhile."

She bit her lip. "Couldn't you just take Van instead? He is the king and you could demand a—"

"Hitomi, I was just kidding," Van laughed.

_Van's mood seem to fluctuate at unexpected times_. Hitomi could never tell when he would be angry or normal or sad. He was so unpredictable."You bastard."

"Hmmm..."

"I hate you."

While Hitomi had been angrily yelling at Van the fight between him and the gruff looking man had already begun. Hitomi was held down by the filthy hands of the other men. Van was able to dodge the man's attacks several times but he narrowly missed one. She cringed when the man's sword nicked Van on the arm. A tiny stream of blood slid down his forearm. She heard him mutter a curse before advancing on the man, but he sidestepped out of Van's reach.

The man chuckled. "I've drawn blood first."

"I didn't say whoever drew first would win," said Van.

"Who said I go by your rules? This is my claim and I goby _my_rules. Whoever is the first to draw blood would win and claim his prize."

"You should've told me first, lying scoundrel. I will not abide by your rules for they are full of cheat, just like you are."

"I _will_ take the girl," snarled the man.

Hitomi could practically smell his horrid breath from where she was. She wondered how Van could stand it. One of the men was playing with her hair. She spat on his face and received a blow to the side of the face. Her cheek stung with a burning sensation. She retaliated by jamming her elbow into his side. He let go of her, surprised. Hitomi quickly turned to kick him in his family jewels before running for cover. Another man blocked her path.

"What a feisty girl you are," he sneered in an oily voice.

She cringed and dashed to his right, but she was seized by two other men. They dragged her, kicking and all, back to the same spot she had originally been. The man she had kicked shot her a venomous look. Van and the man were still at it. She saw fresh cuts on Van's arms and chest, but the man had some as well. Van's pride would not allow him to back down on a fight.

He was panting now.

Secretly, Hitomi was glad that he wasn't going to let some person capture her, but she felt guilty that Van was getting hurt. She would never allow him to know this. She would not allow him to use it against her.

Hitomi's eyes took it all in. One minute they were racing toward each other and the next it was over. Van staggered but it was the man who crumpled to the ground and remained motionless, his lifeless eyes haunting her. She had seen Van's sword make contact with the man's flesh, producing a soft, dull sound. She had seen the blood gush onto Van's shirt, and had heard a groan of pain escape the man's lips. She felt like vomiting.

Van made his way toward her, but she took a tentative step back. His eyes looked more ferocious than ever and his whole being possessed a dangerous aura. She squeezed back a storm of tears.

"What are you, Van?"

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for reading this chappie! I hope you liked it. Please review—I cannot express how much I love them. Just to let you know Chapter 6 may take a while to upload but don't worry. It should take about 2 weeks and if it takes longer than thatyou can all yell and abuse me. Lol I'm just kidding...or am I?

And also, just to clear any confusion I've caused,there's a purpose as to why some (or was it only one) of the names have changed if you've noticed. And if you have any questions feel free to ask and I'll answer them to the best of my abilities. Well, have a fantabulous day.

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	7. Butterfly Kiss

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Escaflowne or its characters. Escaflowne is the property of Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment. I'm just an innocent person who happened to write a fanfic on Escaflowne.

* * *

**Chapter 7**

**Butterfly Kiss**

**

* * *

**

Van wiped the blood from his blade with his shirt and replied frostily, "I'm a warrior, Hitomi." He paused. "Do you know what warriors do?"

"...no."

"We fight and we kill, Hitomi. We were brought up this way so that Fanelia will always be protected. It is something we are proud of."

_Why is he telling me this?_ Hitomi squeezed her pendant as she desperately tried to keep the fountain in her eyes from overflowing. "But you killed a _man_...don't you feel—"

"Of course I do! But if I hadn't killed him then you would've died instead. Think about it, Hitomi." He checked the gash on his arm.

When Hitomi didn't say anything, Van went over to her and took the sword from her hand. He racked his fingers through his ruffled hair. "Let's go back down."

"What about him? A—are you just going to leave him there?" Hitomi shuddered as she stared at the corpse.

He sighed wearily. "No, what the hell do you think I am? Look, I really didn't want you to see that..."

A long, awkward silence enveloped them. Even the forest was silent, as if paying their respects to the dead man. Hitomi felt a little sorry for him. A soft waft whispered past them.

Hitomi rubbed her arms. "Who's going to clean this mess?"

"Don't worry about it."

When dawn struck the next morning Hitomi climbed up to the roof, wondering if the dead man's body was still there. Much to her relief, the body wasn't there nor the blood. And then she wondered if she had dreamed it all.

"It's spotless, isn't it?"

Balgus's shadow fell across the black rooftop.

"Good morning, Balgus." Hitomi tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

He inclined his head, acknowledging the greeting. "Good morning to you too. It's quite early, no?"

"Yea. I just wanted to make sure...you knew what happened?"

He nodded. "Almost everyone knows. It's difficult not to hear all that ruckus Van made." He chuckled.

"Does this sort of thing happen very often?"

"Often? No, only occasionally. But it was unfortunate that it happened when you were there. Fanelia is usually a very peaceful country. Do you see that over there?" Balgus swept his hand over the forested area surrounding Fanelia. A slight fog had settled down over the town. His hand paused at a tall mountain side.

"When the sun comes up and shines its light down on Fanelia, it is the most beautiful thing I see. I've lived here for quite a while but I never do get tired of gazing at it." He smiled contently.

She agreed with him. The fog filtered the sun rays and only a few beams were able to penetrate it. As the sun rose higher the kingdom seemed to shudder awake from a long dormant sleep. The glossy leaves from the forest gave off a healthy sheen and seemed to draw breath from the sun's radiant light. Birds all over chirped their music and, slowly one by one, windows were thrown opened, revealing the bright-eyed faces of men and women.

"It's breathtaking," whispered Hitomi, afraid that if she raised her voice the world would shy away and sleep again.

"I would give my life to protect it," Balgus said solemnly.

Van appeared beside them, his hair a wild mass. "Yes, and I too."

They both seemed so serious about the safety of Fanelia. Did they both sense that their beloved country would crumble in the near future?

"Good morning, Van. It's a brand new day. You should do something useful," greeted Balgus with a cheerful smile.

"Eh, I'll think about it," he replied in a half grumpy voice. He turned to her. "You're not still thinking about yesterday, are you?"

"No, I'm just wondering who cleaned up the mess. They did an awesome job."

The corner of Van's lip twitched. "I'll be sure to let them know." He and Balgus exchanged looks and shared a secret smile. Hitomi thought they looked suspicious.

"Van!" yelled Merle as she leaped onto Van and licked him clean on the face.

Hitomi flinched in disgust. How could he stand that? It was _gross_. She suppressed a shudder from creeping down her back. "Do you let anyone do that to you?"

"Of course not," he scoffed. "Only Merle."

Merle stuck a tongue at her and Hitomi did so too.

That night Hitomi dreamed she was roasting in an oven. Well, it wasn't actually an oven but it felt like she was standing in one. Her eyes and nose burned like hell. The flames leaped at her and licked her face. She felt it kiss her skin before retreating to a safer distance. The fire was playing some sort of game with her, always enticing her into thinking it was going back down and then jumping at her again. She couldn't see anything behind the wall of fire but she could _smell_. It was a heavy, pungent smell. It made her head spin. Thick rolls of smoke floated in the air around her and she choked as some entered her throat.

She woke up feeling irritatingly hot, even though the night was cool. The back of her neck was sticky with sweat. Her skin was unusually warm and her heart was pounding. She left her bed and learned against the window. She welcomed the welcomed the cold breeze and fell asleep, her head resting on the window sill.

* * *

Van and Merle waited for Hitomi to join them for breakfast but she didn't show up. Breakfast was served a few minutes later, courtesy of a cranky Van, and she still wasn't there and neither was the servant, Eni.

Merle pouted. "I'm freaking hungry! Let's just eat first. I'm sure Hitomi will understand."

"Yea, I think I'll die if I don't eat soon," agreed Van.

"I wonder why she's not up yet."

"Maybe she overslept," he suggested.

"But I saw her go to bed early."

Van stopped in the middle of eating. "Why are you so concerned about her?"

"I'm not. It's just that it's weird because Hitomi is always up early...and she makes good food."

He laughed. "But you only drink milk and eat fish sticks. What can she do to make them so good?"

"So? I like the way she prepares them," she argued defiantly.

He raised an eyebrow. "Is she your maid now or what?"

"No."

"Huh. She never made me anything."

"That's because I asked her _nicely_, Van. She's not so bad."

"You? I don't believe you."

Merle shrugged and jabbed at the pathetic looking omelette. "Then don't. But I sure as hell like her cooking better than this piece of crap."

"Hey, you're hurting my feelings here. I actually took the time to make us this 'crap.'"

Merle snickered. "You could've sprinkled some spices. How come Eni didn't make us breakfast?"

He shrugged and broke off a piece of bread."She wasn't in the kitchen and there was nothing on the table. So I had to make something or we would starve. I wasn't sure what to put in the eggs..."

"At least you didn't burn down the whole building. I give you props for that." She finished her milk. "Agh, what is taking Hitomi so long?"

"Why don't you go up to her room? If I keep hearing you ask that question I think I'm gonna break the damn table. Like I said, she probably overslept."

She gave him a wary look. "Fine, but if she yells at me for disturbing her I'll snap your neck."

She made her way to Hitomi's room and knocked but there was no answer. She opened the door and saw Hitomi sleeping in a chair with her head on the window.

"I can't believe she's still asleep," Merle muttered.

She nudged Hitomi's arm but Hitomi didn't open her eyes. Merle shook her harder but she still didn't wake. Merle placed a hand on Hitomi's back, which felt awfully warm, and placed another on her chest bone to support her as Merle pushed her back against the chair. Hitomi's face was flushed a cherry red and her cheeks felt hot.

"Hitomi, wake up. Are you feeling okay?"

It was a moment before she answered in a faint voice. "Yea...just tired..."

Merle frowned. "You're body feels like it's on fire! How dare you say that you feel fine."

"...wake me...in an hour..." Hitomi fell forward into Merle's unwilling arms.

Merle gasped. "Hitomi! Wake up, Hitomi."

The heat from Hitom's body burned against her skin. She wasn't strong enough to lift Hitomi on the bed. "Van! HELP me!" she screamed, exercising her lungs of steel.

"What?" she heard him grumble a while later. When he appeared at the door, his eyebrows shot up. "What the heck are you guys _doing_?"

"Van, this isn't a time to joke!" she scolded. "I think Hitomi has a fever. Come help me get her on the bed."

Together they hoisted her on to the bed but left the blankets off. Van leaned over and felt Hitomi's forehead. "You're right, Merle. She's sick. We've got to keep her body temperature down. If you can take as much of her clothes off but without...you know. I'll go get the ice. Where _is_ that Eni? I have better things to do."

Merle cringed. "You want me to _strip_ her? What if she wakes up and thinks I'm molesting her?"

"It would make more sense if I asked that. But since you are both girls it shouldn't matter."

"It matters to _me_. What about my _dignity_!" she protested.

"You're dignity doesn't matter right now. (He ignored her deadly glare) I don't even think she'll notice."

Merle sighed and hesitantly reached to unbutton Hitomi's shirt but instantly pulled back her hands. "I feel like a **LESBIAN!**"

Van threw back his head and laughed hard. "Come on, Merle. It's not like that. I'd do it for you but she'll break my fingers if she found out."

"Ugh, why me," she groaned.

Van grinned at her as he left. Merle reluctantly began to undo the buttons of Hitomi's top. Hitomi stirred in her sleep and her eyes fluttered open. She feebly pushed Merle's hand away and struggled to sit up.

Merle jabbed a finger at her, pushing her back down. "You! You will rest and get better so that Van and I will not have to slave over you."

"I'm not sick. Just tired. Must I smack you to make you understand?" Hitomi rolled on her side and lied there, breathing a little heavy.

"Must you be so stubborn? If I don't remove your clothes you're going to become very sick, and you'll barf all your guts out." Maybe she was stretching the truth a bit but it worked because Hitomi stiffened.

She sighed. "I'll do it my self."

Merle nearly laughed. "You can't even sit up without losing your breath. What makes you think you can? It'll be easier for the both of us if you let me instead."

She watched with increasing irritation as Hitomi fumbled with the buttons. Finally, after much agitation, Merle whacked away Hitomi's hands and undid the strange shirt and made a face as she removed the skirt before Hitomi could protest again. She turned her head away as she covered Hitomi's body with a thin cover sheet. Hitomi's hot hand clamped around her wrist. Merle flinched.

Hitomi's eyes were closed but she wasn't asleep. "Thank you."

"Sure, no problem." Merle decided she liked the submissive side of Hitomi better.

Van returned with the bags of ice and tossed some to Merle. They dumped the ice all over Hitomi, who winced from the ice's stinging touch. The ice had already begun the process of melting after a couple of minutes. For the rest of the day, Merle and Van took turns checking up on Hitomi. Her temperature gradually decreased but she didn't stay awake long enough for them to talk to her.

* * *

Van was starting to become suspicious of Eni because he didn't see her the whole day. Balgus was out of the country for a few days (he didn't tell Van why) and the Council of Advisors were busy carrying out Van's new orders for controlling Fanelia's army. The other servants had their chores to do so they hadn't been able to notice if Eni wa there or not.

To complicate the matter, Allen arrived at Van's doorsteps accompanied by Gaddes late that evening.

"You look a little pale," commented Allen.

"One of the servants, Eni, had suddenly vanished. I don't know where she's gone," Van replied.

"That's not all, is it."

"No," he said softly.

"Where's our little Hitomi?" Allen asked suddenly, his hair swishing from side to side. It reminded Van of a field of bright yellow sunflowers. _Those are probably his favorites_.

"She's got a fever. Nothing we can't handle though."

Allen looked disappointed. "I was hoping to catch a glimpse of that lovely face of hers. But that's not what we came for. Show him, Gaddes."

Gaddes produced a scroll and unrolled it on the table. It appeared to be a map of some sort and it had an inscription written down at the corner. Allen pointed to a location on the scroll.

"This is a map of Fanelia and this is where we are right now in the castle. And over here was where the sentry was station before the breach. The wall was blown to pieces; however, there was no sign of the perpetrator. I had my men search the whole area and nothing could explain the cause of the incident. It was as if a ghost had done it but we both know that's impossible."

Allen paused to let the words sink in. "My instincts tell me that this was intentional but my question is why. Even as we speak I have my people and yours strategizing, analyzing, and formulating a plan as to how and why. I am unsure of what the results will be. What do you think of this, Van?"

Van sighed. "I know that there must be a reason behind it. It could have been a diversion for something bigger. I just don't know what."

"That's what I was thinking as well. If I find anything else I'll let you in on it. Balgus went away again?"

Van nodded. "Yea. He didn't tell me where. I hope he comes back soon. He could definitely help us with this."

Merle appeared downstairs and said flatly, "We need more ice."

"Ask one of the servants," said Van. He didn't want to interrupt their discussion just yet. "They'll know where to get some. If they refuse tell them their king demands it."

When Merle left, Allen turned to Van. "I'll send someone with medicine for the fever. It's a good thing Millerna decided to give some to me. I wonder, could Eni have anything to do with the incident? She did disappear unexpectedly."

"What? No way. I don't think she's capable of that."

"I was just suggesting if it was possible."

Van frowned. "Besides Eni's too quiet and timid."

"It's the quiet ones you have to watch out for," Allen warned.

The statement had struck Van off guard. It never occurred to him that behind the silent façade a clever mind could be clicking away, plotting anything that could bring him down, or Fanelia. Still, the warrior side of Van refused to accept this. "Well, we'll see when she returns."

Allen nodded. "let me know if she does. I'll have someone keep an eye on her."

"Okay."

Allen arose to his feet. "I'll be leaving now. Good night, Van."

Gaddes bowed. "Good evening, Lord Van."

Van went up to Hitomi's room and sat down beside the bed. New ice packets were neatly tucked around her. He placed the back of his hand on her check and was relieved that it had cooled a little. Merle was curled in a ball by the corner, her tail wrapped lovingly around her. Van stood up and covered her with a thin blanket. He then returned to his chair and made himself comfortable. It was going to be a long, damned night.

Sometime later, a servant arrived and handed the medicine to Van. He fed her a spoonful and watched as her face crumpled at the bitter taste. He nearly laughed. He went back to the chair and promised himself that he was only going to close his eyes for a few minutes.

He immediately jerked awake upon hearing Hitomi moan pitifully in her slumber. When had he fallen asleep? Van rubbed his face and stretched. The bones in his back cracked gratefully with a satisfying sound. He yawned quietly and walked over to Hitomi. Her face was glistening with sweat but it was cool, indicating that the fever had broke. He guessed that she had a nightmare. Van gently wiped her face with a dry cloth so he wouldn't wake her. Van watched her face for a while, waiting for her breathing to slow.

It assaulted him how peaceful she looked, as if nothing could ever disturb her. The closed lashes seemed thicker than before, or maybe it was the effect of the dim lighting. The eyebrows arched gracefully above her eyes. Her lips were curved slightly at the corners. Her rosy complexion set of her whole appearance, giving her an angelic countenance.

Van laughed scornfully to himself. He knew that there was nothing angelic about. She was arrogant and a loud mouth. She was stubborn and she made him feel like breaking things whenever they talked, sometimes. But one thing she wasn't was conceited. That hair and attitude of hers surely chucked the vanity out of her. Probably scared it the hell away.

He yawned again. "Goddamn, I'm tired." Then he slumped in the chair with his arms crossed.

* * *

It was cold, so _cold_. Her breath came out in tiny particles. She looked down at the thick, mossy ground. She was somewhere she didn't recognize. A swirly mass of fog hovered above her feet and the area around her. Without warning, she was aware of a light cool material enclosing her skin. It hung loosely on her frame. She held out a hand and saw the white lightweight material intertwining at the base of her arm. A golden ribbon snaked its way across her waist and knotted itself behind her.

_I feel like a Greek god._ She couldn't see anything beyond the cool mist. _Where the heck am I?_

"**You are where you want to be,"** spoke a playful voice. Something feathery brushed past her cheek.

She turned abruptly around, her eyes scanning the fog for a silhouette. "Who are you?"

Again the evasive voice answered. **"I am who you want me to be."**

She felt her irritation rise. Whoever this person was, was giving her answers she could not interpret. She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin, a look of determination on her face. "I ask you again, who are you?"

The shroud around her swooshed and whirled. A blast of air gently blew in he rface. Her eyes widened. The robe on her body rustled. She caught a glimpse of a pale hand larger than hers as it touched her arm. **"Come,"** the voice beckoned. **"I wish to show you something."**

Silently she followed. She didn't know how but she knew where to go. Her feet began to sink into the soft ground and soon they dipped into a pool of ice cold water. A shiver ran through her. Her gown grew heavy as the water soaked it and dragged behind her. When she was waist deep in the water, the voice called out to her from a distance.

"**Listen carefully: Light my fire and I shall give in return. Douse my fire and I shall take from you. Rekindle my fire and I shall open your eyes. Here lies before you a body of water. Use it wisely. It is capable of more than you can imagine."** It sounded sober.

What the _hell?_ "I'm afraid I don't understand."

The mist whirled gently. "What is there to understand?" it asked, its voice now lilting.

She threw her hands down in frustration. The mist puffed away from her, as if recoiling from the burst of heat emitting from her. "I have no idea what you are trying to tell me."

The thick fog surged lethargically toward her and embraced her with its tiny droplets. **"Do not think too hard, Hitomi,"** it whispered before the view in front of her vanished.

Hitomi pried open her eyes and sat up in bed. What had her dream meant? Was it a premonition of some sort? She immediately noticed Van sleeping in the chair snoring softly. His mouth was half opened. She placed her hands down on the sheets and found them damp. Had she been sweating that much?

She saw Merle curled at the corner of the room and then she remembered that they had been taking care of her while she was asleep during the fever. She was grateful for their concern. She didn't feel the lingering weakness that a fever usually brought. She silently thanked them.

The late morning sunlight streamed into the room, evaporating the darkness. She quietly slipped out of bed and gingerly opened the door. She was relieved that none of them woke up. Her stomach growled like a raging swamp monster as she headed toward the kitchen. It was only right to reward the two for their vigorous efforts.

* * *

"The vessel is here," announced the deep, throaty voiced being.

Folken calmly studied the image of the aged man before him. The wrinkles on his face were like dried up crevices where rivers had once been, begging for drops of moisture. "Yes, I am well aware of that."

The screen flickered and the aged man's face once again came into view. "The vessel is the key to perceiving the light. We must take care not to rupture the balance between the vessel and its hold on Gaia."

"I am aware of that too." Something hit Folken's cloak. He turned around and gave the white haired boy a reproachful look. "Dilandau, what ever is your problem?"

"I'm bored," he said flatly. "Tell me again why you dragged my ass down here?" Dilandau flicked another pebble with the tip of his blade. It landed next to Folken's feet.

What was he going to do with this boy? "I thought I told you."

Dilandau made a face. "I forgot."

"I was hoping to force some sense into you. I grow weary of your recklessness." Folken wondered what happened to the screen. He only took his eyes off of it for one second and it was blank. Was he angry that they weren't listening to him?

"And I grow weary of this ugly room." Dilandau deliberately cast another slightly larger pebble toward Folken. It fell an inch short of smacking Folken's face and hit the ground with a wretched little thud.

Folken suppressed a grimace. "I have noticed that you are restless today."

"I'm flattered you noticed. I gotta get out of here." Dilandau looked at the blank screen. "Wha the fuck, the old man isn't even here."

"The old man happens to be the Emperor, Dilandau."

But Dilandau wasn't listening.

What _was_ he going to do with this boy? With a mere glance at the retreating boy he advised, "Stay clear of my quarters, Dilandau."

"Yea, yea, whatever," he muttered.

* * *

Dilandau did feel restless, or rather he felt like doing something reckless. But he didn't have to tell the Strategos that. He already knew. Dilandau's fingers were itching with a burning desire to nurse a wild fire. He came upon his beautiful Oriedes. He ran his hand down its smooth blood red surface. His was the only one that was red, thank the gods. It was still warm from the little adventure he had that morning. A grin crept to his lips.

Those damn bastards thought they could take him out in their drunken state. They made him laugh. They were lucky he was in a good mood or he would have cut off their hands, or who knows what else. Instead he had simply tied their hands to their stools and left the tavern. But boy did he enjoy watching them as they squirmed like pathetic fools, trying to undo the knots. In their clumsiness, they toppled over and slammed their filthy heads on the wooden floor. They were out cold. Dilandau laughed before kicking them aside to make his way to the door.

He eyed a pile of useless, flammable material. It wasn't much but it would have to do. He set it on fire, watching as a piece of cloth turned from white to a dark, crisp black. It shriveled and writhed as if it was in pain before it was lost in the fire. He imagined that he was standing on a cliff, surveying a roaring fire. It hungrily consumed everything its flaming claws touched upon. It danced a wild waltz across the forest, leaping to and fro with the guidance of the blowing wind. It was a monster. Something he created. Something he understood with the depths of his heart.

"Dilandau, sir!" one of the Dragonslayers exclaimed urgently, jolting Dilandau from his lumbering thoughts. He recognized Gatti's voice.

"What?" he growled. His mood was ruined. What was so important that it couldn't wait?

"There's a fire, sir," Gatti reported, pointing to the small flames.

That was why he had interrupted him? Dilandau closed his eyes for a second and reopened them. "Yes, I know. I was the one who caused it."

"Oh. Are you hurt, sir?" Gatti asked with concern marked on his face.

He felt like smacking him upside the head, and he did. "Are you blind? Does it look like I'm injured?"

Gatti rubbed the side of his head where Dilandau had just hit him. "Um, no, sir."

"Does that answer your question?"

"Yes, sir," he nodded.

"Good. Now get out of my face before I smack you again," Dilandau barked, his irritation at its end.

"Yes, sir." Gatti bowed and hastily left.

By now the fire had died down, revealing scattered glowing embers. Dilandau kicked the pile and headed to his room.

* * *

Hitomi prepared a special delicacy known only on Earth. The sweet buttery smell of pancakes filled the whole kitchen. She waited for the pale pastry cake to turn a crisp light brown. She had been completely unaware that someone had been watching her.

Van leaned in the shadows, musing at the content looking Hitomi slaving her weak little ass over the stove.

She poured the last of the batter into the pan, rising and forming as the heat transformed it from liquid to solid. When it was done, she scooped it up and plopped it down with the other pancakes. They would have to it while it was still warm. She carried the plates over to the table and nearly dropped them upon seeing Van lurking suspiciously in the shadows, with a watchful eye on her.

"What?" she scowled. "Did you think I was going to steal something?"

He snorted. "No. I was thinking about you."

She froze. Why was he thinking about her? Was he planning on killing her right then and there and dumping her body into the sewers? He swallowed and put the plates down.

"Whatever you're thinking, that's not it. You should be resting. You're still weak from the fever," he said. He emerged from the shadows and sniffed one of the plates. "Don't you know it's not healthy for you to eat sweets for breakfast?"

"It's what _we_ eat on Earth."

"The Mystic Moon," he corrected, his eyes challenging her.

"Right. We're supposed to pour syrup over it but since you guys don't have any..." Her eyes wandered to the top cupboards. She opened some of them and discovered a jar of honey. "Honey will work."

She turned around. Van had eaten all of the contents of his plate and gave a satisfied belch. "Pig," she muttered.

"Not bad," he said with a nod of his head. "You. Me. Let's fight. I'll teach you what I know about the art of sword fighting. You seem to have a knack for it, you know."

"I'm still eating, fool." She bit savagely into her pancake and made sure the honey dribbled down her mouth, hoping to repulse him into leaving her the hell alone.

"You can eat while we walk to the battle grounds." He seized her hand and half dragged, half carried her. Clutched in Hitomi's other hand was a roll of the cake.

So the king had finally found a use for her. Good for him. She glanced around and noticed they were going the wrong way. "Hey! Where are you taking me?"

"You'll see," was all he said.

They reached a threshold of some sort of sacred place. Just in front of them towered two magnificent marble pillars. A carved statue of a winged figure caressing an unrecognizable creature arched between the pillars. Beyond that stood a massive temple constructed from blocks of rich granite. A large, human sized statuesque of the goddess of fertility loomed over one side of the temple passageway and the goddess of knowledge on the other.

A pair of servants approached them. They were clad in long white robes. "Your weapons, Lord Van," one of them spoke.

"Yes, I know." A hint of irritation was etched in his voice, as if he heard this everyday. He gave the sword that was in his hands to the servant. He removed the belt from his wait, his mighty sword dangling from it, and handed it to the other servant. Van made his way up the steps and Hitomi, uncertain of what was going on, followed sheepishly behind him.

A gush of air blew back her hair as they entered the temple. It looked hollowed out for some reason, and it was dark. The only objects in the temple were the goddess of protection and the god of war stretching their hand out with their palms pressed against a spherical orb. All was sculpted from smooth white marble. A hole had been chiseled at the top of the temple, allowing light to transfix on the godly figurines.

Van kneeled before the gods. Hitomi awkwardly joined him. "Why are we here? I thought—"

He gave her a sidelong glance, shutting her up. "We're here to ask the gods for protection should one of us get hurt."

"Hah. You're afraid I'll hurt you." Her green eyes held a twinkle of mischief. She let herself sit on her legs. "Imagine that."

He snorted. "Don't get too full of yourself. I'm doing this because I _know_ I will hurt you."

"Well, you sure are full of _your_ self," she remarked curtly.

He smirked and finished his prayer, blessing, whatever it was. Before leaving he made her pray to the gods. She had done it while shooting daggers at him. Satisfied, Van circled around the outside of the temple and took her to a grassy clearing behind the temple. There even more statues of gods and goddesses out here. They were fixed in a large spacious circle.

_For more protection,_ she guessed. Van threw her a sheathed sword at her. It was the same one she had used before. As it sailed through the air, it shimmered a jewel green in the bright sunlight. Hitomi felt eh smoothness of the surface s she caught it in her hands. Her heart beat a little faster.

Van had his weapon out, playfully hacking away at tufts of grass. Hitomi looked back at hers and slowly pulled it out. She could see a clear reflection of herself. She grinned at Van through the reflection. He gave her a weird look.

He approached, but kept his distance. "Let's see how much you know, Hitomi."

"Er...okay." She brought both hands around the leather bound hilt.

Van pointed his blade at the grass, barely touching it, and drew a semi-circle in front of her, barely spanning 5 feet wide. "According to the Fanelian swording etiquette, for a round of friendly dueling, each opponent is required to perform the mark of the Half-Moon Goddess (A/N: I'm not even sure if there is such a thing. Lol.) This signifies life and death, good and evil, masculine and feminine."

"Why only half?" she asked as she copied his fluid movement.

"Because if it was full there would be an imbalance. Too much life would overpopulate Gaia, but too much death would leave it deserted. Too much masculine would bring harsh reality and brutality, while too much feminine would nurture softness and weakness."

He hadn't mentioned an example for good and bad. Maybe he didn't have one. "And the good and evil?" she enticed.

Van rested his sword and furrowed his black eyebrows, thinking. Then he said simply, "Actually, I don't know. Gaddes never told me. I guess he wanted me to figure it out on my own. Watch my stance as I circle you. Slow and steady for now."

They spent an hour crouching and side stepping until Hitomi got the hang of it. Her legs and thighs felt like jelly after. An hour passed by with Van teaching her how to block properly without absorbing too much damage inflicted and how to convert the energy used to block into energy to counterattack. She failed the latter miserably and Van gave up teaching her. Hitomi's arms ached like a bitch from shifting the weight of the blade so much.

And for _another_ hour as some sort of a cruel and unusual punishment, he forced her to actually fight with him. He told her that she could use any technique she desired. She imagined him stuffed inside a roll of bread and attacked the imaginary bread, hacking viciously.

"Hitomi, what's wrong with your face?" Van unexpectedly asked. "It looks like you're having a seizure."

Had her imagination gotten the best of her? That she got carried away? She purposely dropped her sword and plopped down on the grass, leaning back against her hands. She threw her head back to let any breeze cool her sweaty face. She heard Van sit with poise beside her.

"That was random," he remarked. "You shouldn't fling your sword like that. It's dangerous."

She turned her head to Van. "Oh, come on, Van. You're no fun. Where's the thrill in doing that?"

"It's reckless," he said sternly.

She fell back on the grass, its thin blades tickling the back of her neck. She brought a handful to her nose. The scent it gave was fresh, crisp, and a little citric. She sneezed, scattering the grass blades. She heard Van snort.

A green, black-outlined butterfly fluttered lazily across the sky. Hitomi spread her hand in hopes that it would land on her finger. The butterfly flew around her hand and finally landing gracefully on her ready index finger. She cautiously brought it closer to her eyes. Its wings slowly and calmly opened and closed.

"I've never seen a green one before," she whispered to Van.

"They're here all over the place. I'm surprised you haven't gone and captured them all. And _killed_ them," he said indifferently.

As if the butterfly understood, its wings flapped furiously and hurried away.

"Van, you jerk!" she shot a venomous glare at him.

He rested on his back and started laughing. "You should've seen the look on your face."

"Bastard. You had to scared it didn't you."

Van rolled over on his side and peered down at her. "Close your eyes."

"What, no. I don't trust you." Hitomi turned her head away, still upset that he had scared it away, but more because he did it to aggravate her.

"Come on, Hitomi," he persisted. "You're no fun."

Reverse psychology. Damned bastard. She faced him again and looked in his eyes before closing hers. "You better not try anything."

She waited for what seemed like ten minutes, which was actually five. Nothing happened. There had been no movement from Van. She sighed impatiently. A moment later she heard footsteps approaching her. She was about to open her eyes when a warm hand covered them.

"Don't. Not yet," came Van's voice. When had he gotten up? She heard him moving around some more.

Hitomi felt something tickling her nose. When she lifted her lashes, a sea of green met her eyes. Perched delicately on her nose was another emerald colored butterfly. A delighted smile formed on her lips.

Van chuckled beside her. "I didn't know you liked butterflies so much."

"It's just that I've never seen one that's green. I don't think we have any on Earth. I've seen yellow, white, orange, black-dotted, and even blue ones. But never green," she explained. She scrunched her nose as it tickled its way to her forehead.

Van reached over and carried the butterfly on his finger. He stoked its wings, and gave her a lopsided grin.

Its wings... "Don't touch its wings!" she shouted.

Alarmed, Van immediately stopped. "Why?"

"If you touch its wings, you'll wear away the powder and its wing will deteriorate and it'll die. You're supposed to know that."

"No...I've done this before. Nothing like that ever happened. Here, try it," he urged. He took her hand and placed her fingers gently on the fragile, petal wings. It felt soft and velvety.

Hitomi smelled Van's heated musky scent as he leaned against her. She blushed from being so close to him and squirmed a little. She looked up at Van and saw a light smile touch upon his lips. _So this was the gentle side of him._

He caught her looking and instead of his usual cutting remarks, he let himself smile for her. She returned the smile with a fluttering stomach. She felt his fingertips brush her cheek and then touch her hair, sweeping it to the side. She blinked her eyes sleepily.

_What would Mom do if she saw me like this?_ Hitomi uttered a small gasp. Her mother, she hadn't thought of anyone until now. An image of her dear mother flashed inside her head. She was sitting in the kitchen, waiting for the cake to be done. Another image appeared. It was of Yukari and Amano walking arm in arm laughing merrily.

The scene shifted to a country side much like Fanelia. She was in it and so was the man named Allen. They were swording (sword + fighting) just like she and Van had earlier. There was that same half circle symbol they both were drawing. It was impossible that that could be a part of her memory. She had only met the man once. She was pulled into a different place. It was dark and gloomy. There was a whole fleet of Guymelefs—_Guymelefs?_ How the heck did she know what it was? There was a whole fleet of them. The scene sped up and she now saw her own self lying in a large bed, covered with a thick, black blanket. And then she was in her own bed and there was a beam of light shining down on her chest. Just as quickly as they had come the images were gone.

Hitomi was unsure which were real and which ones weren't She didn't remember experiencing any of them. When her vision cleared, she saw Van hovering over her, a note of concern on his face.

"What happened?" he asked. She noticed that he had distanced himself between them.

Hitomi slowly shook her head. "I don't know. I was flooded with a whole load of images. But they were unfamiliar."

"Maybe the fever is returning."

"No. I feel fine."

He nodded in understanding. He stood up and grabbed the two swords. "Let's head back. I'm starving."

Merle scolded Van for ditching her until he complained of having a headache and she praised Hitomi for the pancakes, when they returned to the mansion.

Van took Merle aside. "Have you seen Eni?"

She shook her head. "Why? Don't you know where she is?"

"No. She wasn't here yesterday either."

Merle failed to disguise her frown, rather pointedly. "I knew she was up to no good. I've never liked her."

"I didn't say she did anything. And you've never liked anyone."

"Except you," Hitomi pointed out.

Van gave her a look. "That's not the point."

"What was the point?" Merle asked in between licking the back of her hand.

"Eni," Hitomi began. "I remember seeing her hanging up my clothes."

"Yesterday?" asked Van.

She chewed on her bottom lip. "I don't remember."

Van's troubled look returned. He ran both hands though his hair. Hitomi noticed he had a frequent habit of doing that. Merle went over to him and licked the side of his face, causing him to produce a soft laugh. He ruffled her pink hair affectionately.

"Is anyone hungry?" asked Hitomi. She felt the need to do something.

"I am!" chirped Merle, her head propped up by her hands. "What else can you make besides that round cake thing?"

"Well, let's see." Hitomi rummaged through the various cupboards. "Do you have a refrigerator?"

"A what?" Merle asked, sounding puzzled.

"Where do you store nonperishable food?" she asked again as she tied an apron around her waist. She felt Van's amused gaze on her but ignored it.

"How the heck should I know? I don't cook."

Hitomi found it. It was an icebox bit much more advanced than the one from the mid 1800s. It looked like a regular refrigerator. Inside were fresh meat and vegetables as well as fruits and milk and other stuff. Hitomi grabbed the ground meat and sack of tomatoes. She was going to attempt to make spaghetti. She had seen her mother make it and it looked easy.

She turned and faced Van and Merle, a tomato in each hand. "Would anyone like to help?"

Before they said a word, Merle was given the tomatoes and a large metal bowl and Van a knife and a handful of herbs and onions. They stared at each other with fear in their eyes.

* * *

**A/N:** How did you guys like this chapter? It wasn't too boring, was it? It was looong. Lol. And extremely uneventful! Serene. I'm thinking of action/drama for the next chappie. Yes? And thanks for reviewing!

* * *


	8. Midnight Rendezvous

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Escaflowne or its characters. Escaflowne is the property of Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment. I'm just an innocent person who happened to write a fanfic on Escaflowne.

A/N: Thank you for reviewing everyone. I hope you read this chapter with relish and enjoy it as much as I did writing it! Have fun.

* * *

**Chapter 8**

**Midnight Rendezvous**

**

* * *

**

"Merle! What are you _doing?_" Hitomi gaped in horror at the poor tomatoes. Merle was using her feet to crush them. Hitomi knew something was bound to go wrong the minute she handed the tomatoes to her. Van was no better. He forgot to peel off the outside part of the onion and was chopping away like a mad man, flinging chunks of onion this way and that.

"It's easier this way," Merle complained. She had thrown away the spoon a long time ago.

Hitomi felt like strangling her. "But it's dirty! I don't even know if you washed your feet yet."

There was a silence and then Hitomi heard her utter, "Oops."

"You didn't."

Merle shrugged and wiped off her feet with a table cloth. "So now what? We obviously can't eat the tomato sauce anymore."

Van stopped cutting. "We could just throw some of these in the meat and eat it like that."

Hitomi made a face. "What kind of a meal is that?"

"It's better than nothing," he said plainly.

"Don't you usually have someone make meals for you?" Hitomi asked, as her stomach growled.

"Yea, but she disappeared yesterday. You know, Eni."

"Oh."

Hitomi tried to remember the last time she had seen her. And slowly it came to her. She was in her room the night before she had the fever and Eni came in to put away Hitomi's washed clothes. Eni had smiled timidly at her and had said something peculiar to her.

"_Hello, Lady Hitomi," she greeted._

_Hitomi had her back to her but turned when she heard Eni's voice. "Hi, Eni. How are you today?"_

"_Oh, I'm fine. How are _you_? Not feverish I hope?" She smiled at Hitomi again._

"_No...I feel fine."_

_Eni finished folding Hitomi's clothes. "That's good. But take care of yourself. I don't want you to get sick."_

_Hitomi smiled. "Yea, you too."_

"_I will," she replied softly. "Don't keep the flames burning too brightly."_

"_Okay," Hitomi said slowly. Eni certainly was talkative tonight. If anything, she seemed like she was warning Hitomi._

"_Good night, Hitomi." Eni placed her hand on Hitomi's head and then walked out of the room. The gesture was a mystery._

Hitomi was unsure of Eni's behavior now. She had been shy and quiet and then out of no where she was almost bold. Hitomi thought Eni had a split personality or something like that. Her attention returned to the present moment.

Van was cooking the meat and every now and then he would stab at it to see if it was cooked. "Smells dee-licious."

Merle pretended to gag. "Smells like dead meat. That's what it smells like it."

"What is it? Chicken, beef, pork?" Hitomi asked.

"I'm not sure. Probably some wild animal from the forest," he replied passively. "I'm sure it's safe enough to eat."

Hitomi's nose flared in repulsion. "I think I'll have an apple."

Van started laughing. "Jeez, I was just _kidding._ You're so gullible. I think it's beef."

"Whatever." She threw the apple at the back of his head. It hit him hard and it hit him good.

Merle burst into fits of laughter. However Van didn't join in. Instead he calmly tied Hitomi's hands to the kitchen counter and resumed with his cooking as if nothing had happened. Merle continued giggling.

"It was an accident!" Hitomi protested.

"My ass," he muttered. "Besides, this way you can watch me eat."

_What a bastard._ She struggled against the ties but to no avail. "This is a cruel and unusual punishment. I demand you to release me now."

Van shook his head and smiled sweetly at her. "No can do, Hitomi." He kissed her on the forehead and patted her head like a dog. She tried to bite his hand but he moved away to check on the food.

"I hate you!" she howled as loud as she could, hoping to make his eardrums burst. She was going to yell some more but he stuffed an apple in her mouth. He turned away again. She managed to bite off a chunk. The apple dropped to the floor. She chewed and swallowed. "You're weird, Van."

He laughed wryly. "Does that surprise you?"

"No, I'm just stating the obvious. Now untie me."

He looked thoughtful as he chewed a spoonful of the meat. "Give me one good reason."

"I won't try to bite you."

He crossed his arms. "And?"

Hitomi thought for a moment. "And I won't throw apples at you anymore?"

"Hmm, good enough. I'll let you off easy this time but next time I won't be so forgiving." He went over and untied her hands.

Once they were free she slugged him square in the jaw. A dead silence succeeded. No one said a word, not even Merle, who had stopped laughing at them. Hitomi was scared that he would hit her back, but then she lifted her chin and stared defiantly into his eyes. "That's for tying me. Now we're even."

Van rubbed his face with a half grin on his face. "You sure are abusive today."

"It's because you're giving me reasons to, retard," she shot back. "It's your own fault."

"You think everything's my fault," he said brusquely.

The front door slammed opened. Van told them to stay where they were and went to investigate. Hitomi urged Merle to go with her to follow him, and Merle eagerly agreed. Together they followed steathily after Van, who caught them rather easily and nearly stuffed them inside a closet when he was distracted by the presence of a tall, blonde haired man, or rather gentleman.

"Van!" Allen exclaimed. "I was wondering where you were. I have news, I believe, you would be glad to hear. It concerns Miss Eni." He then turned and acknowledged Hitomi. "Well, you're looking fine for a fever victim."

She blushed. "It was all thanks to Van and Merle."

"And me," he said proudly.

"Really? I don't remember you doing anything."

"What? Van didn't tell you?" Allen gave Van an incredulous look, whose annoyance was clearly evident. "I sent some medicine to treat you which I believe Van forgot to inform you. Neverthe less, it is no matter."

"Oh...well, thank you," Hitomi said gratefully.

Van spoke up. "What about Eni?"

"Come, I must show you." Allen beckoned to them to follow him outside where a large, black carriage stood awaiting their departure. "I'll take you to the camp. It's something you must see for yourselves."

When they arrived at Allen's camp a mere ten minutes later, they were told to wait while he attended some important business. Van looked impatient and repeatedly shifted his weight from one leg to the other and tapped the ground with his foot. He looked somewhat anxious. Hitomi tried to repel the soldiers by standing like a barbarian with her legs apart and her shoulders slouched. Merle kept giving Hitomi strange glances as she crouched under the shade of a large oak tree. Finally Allen appeared again and this time he was followed by a girl who looked completely distraught. Hitomi was surprised to discover that the girl was none other than Eni. She looked different, almost unrecognizable. Her face was pale and tearstreaked.

Van stood up straight. "What happened to her?"

Allen placed a hand on Eni's shoulder and said, "One of my men found her some time this morning screaming through the gag in her mouth. She was bound and gagged and stashed in some corner in an abandoned barn (at this Eni stifled a sob). She was luckily unharmed. I don't know who did it. She hasn't said anything the whole day. It was hard enough getting her to calm down. I presumed it was better that I informed you after she recovered from the shock."

Hitomi felt sorry for the girl and went over and put an arm around her trembling shoulders. Eni sobbed silently into her hands.

"It's okay," Hitomi reassured her. "You're safe now."

Van had a hard look on his face. "I don't understand why anyone would want to kidnap a serving maid. I wouldn't have been surprised if they had kidnapped Hitomi or Merle or even me."

"I had the same thought as well. This is a rare sort of misdemeanor. I've heard rumors about some cases like this but I've never actually seen it happen. Servants are usually thought of as useless to a thief unless he or she has close connections with royalty. I'll have someone look into this and see if it has any connection with the breach," Allen said contemplatively. He even looked excited that something was actually happening in Fanelia.

Merle, however, looked as if she didn't want to believe it and had a little scowl on her face. On their way back she refused to sit remotely close to or across from Eni, but the girl didn't notice. Hitomi, however, did and shot furtive looks at Merle. And just to prove her point that Eni was indeed suffering and required comfort, Hitomi wiped Eni's tearstained face and tidied her rumpled light brown hair. Merle's scowl deepened as Hitomi wrapped a blanket around the poor girl.

Van contented himself with staring out into the road. He didn't say anything when Merle climbed out to the roof of the carriage and remained there the rest of the ride home. Hitomi studied Eni's strained face.

"You have green eyes too!" she exclaimed.

Eni looked startled and immediately lowered her eyes. She didn't look up the rest of the way.

"Nice," commented Van, a crooked smile surfacing.

"Shut up," Hitomi snapped.

When the carriage pulled to a stop, the others went on ahead and Hitomi had to coax Eni to come out and enter the mansion. The Council of Advisors, surprisingly, were found waiting when the two finally made it into the hall. They were discussing something but soon stopped. Van was slouched on the royal throne looking like a tortured child. All eyes were on Hitomi and Eni.

The Head Advisor inflicted a critical eye on Eni. "We are aware of your situation, however, that does not give you the right to keep your silence. You will snap out of this state. I believe assigning you to work with the stable boy for a few days will be enough punishment."

"Excuse me, sir," Hitomi interrupted. The Head Advisor raised a disapproving eyebrow. She continued, "I don't know if you agree with me or not but I think she doesn't deserve a punishment. She's just traumatized. It's unfair of you to do this."

The man looked dubious. "Unfair? She is a servant, lady. You appear surprised. Let me inform you. Servants and members do not interact or associate with each other as companions. They merely serve. You know that don't you?"

_Why wasn't Van doing anything to right this injustice?_ Hitomi looked over at Eni and found that she was cowering in the safety of the dark. She sighed and turned her face to the Head Advisor. Didn't he have a name besides 'Head Advisor?' "I understand."

He nodded, obviously glad to have thought he won the argument. "Good. It's settled."

Something told her not to yield to this man. Her instincts called to her and she didn't know what to do. Hitomi bit her lip. "I—I would like to make a request."

Van and the Head Advisor both raised heir heads. A frown formed on the latter's wrinkled face. Van made no objection, much to the Head Advisor's dismay.

She cleared her throat before resuming. "I ask that you place Eni under me as my servant."

The air buzzed with outraged murmurs of the Council. Some agreeing, some disagreeing. Finally Van stood up. "Silence! I will grant the request under one condition."

Hitomi felt her heart swell but didn't show it. "What would that be, Your Highness?"

Van flinched. She had forgotten that he didn't like to be addressed as such. But it was a necessary precaution should the Council rebuke her for her insolence. Van looked into the anxious eyes of the Council daring them to defy him. None of them did so much as blink. "I will only discuss it with her."

Another outburst escaped from their shocked vocal chords. Hitomi was just as bewildered. And the loudest of them all was the Head Advisor himself. "But—but this is highly unsuitable. I strongly advise you to reconsider."

"I have made my decision and that is final," Van said passively. He was now seated in the throne. "You are all dismissed except for the lady Hitomi herself."

After the procession left, grumbling about their majesty's safety, the hall suddenly seemed much larger than it had been. Hitomi felt like an ant stuck inside a large cardboard box. It was a lonely place to be. Van cleared his throat.

"Would you rather have me come to you or you come to me?" he asked with a lilt. He added arrogantly, "I like the second one better."

She scowled at him only to make him laugh. His laughter echoed in the silent hall. She made her way up the interval of steps until she was directly in front of him. He leaned forward and made a gesture for her to come nearer.

"Closer," he whispered. "I need to be able to speak to you so that no one can hear."

She looked around. "But nobody's here."

"Ah, that's what you think. Come closer now. I don't bite." He flashed her a rather wolfish smile. It made her feel uneasy. She didn't move.

"Oh for heaven's sake I'll make it easier for the both of us." Van got up from his golden throne and crossed over to her until their noses were almost touching.

"Couldn't you just have talked to me from over there?" she asked nervously.

"Why?" he whispered. She felt his warm breath on her face. "Is this too close for you?"

"A—a little. Yes," she squeaked. She felt her face transform from a normal skin tone to one similar to that of a ruthless sunburn.

He chuckled ruefully into her ear, reverberating hypnotically. A shiver ran through her. "I had to resort to this because when we talk our voices echo into the shaft up above us and anyone standing there will hear every little word that comes out of our mouth. Now do you understand?"

She nodded and felt his hair mingle with hers. "Why couldn't we just go some where else?"

This time he laughed. "Hitomi, would you really want to waste your energy walking down those steps again? Besides, this is much more convenient."

"For you," she shot back. "You didn't have to move your lazy ass."

He laughed again.

"You sure are in a good mood today," she commented. He laughed more than when she had first met him.

He shrugged. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"No. Are you going to tell me now? The condition?"

"Hmm?" he uttered absently.

_Oh for the love of gods!_ She wanted to head butt him and crack his head. For some reason, she had a feeling he enjoyed her discomfort. "The condition! You know, you were going to have Eni serve me but under one condition. Remember?"

"Oh, that. I was just kidding. I don't have one. But you must agree it was a hell of a time watching the old lards fluster like fat hens," he replied honestly.

"What? Then what the hell did you make me stay for?" she hissed.

"Well," he drawled as his fingers dance lightly up her arms, across her shoulders, up her vulnerable neck, and then rested on her face. He pressed her face, pushing her cheeks forward. "Because I like to get you mad," he said innocently before another grin broke out and he chuckled.

Hitomi slapped his hands away. "You are a despicable, dirt eating, low life scumbag! And I hope a wolf hacks you up and eats you for dinner!"

He smiled impishly. "You see what I mean?"

"No," she snapped.

"Are you guys done yet?" Merle bellowed from the other side of the double door. A couple a bangs on the door followed after. "What's taking so long?"

Almost immediately after, a new voice shouted, "Lord Van! You must come out this instant. Your presence is required!"

"What the hell," muttered Van. "I don't ever remember my presence being needed."

He opened the door and there, looking scraggy and beaten up, were two sentries standing weakly, trembling from head to toe. A servant was politely bowed before Van. Hitomi saw Allen standing with his arms crossed, a hard look on his face.

"Van," started Allen. "We have a problem."

* * *

"Damned guards," muttered Dilandau. He lashed out at a wooden pole, almost snapping it in half. "Should've ended their miserable lives."

"Dilandau," said Folken, his voice slightly reprimanding.

He split another pole, oblivious to Folken's tone. "Why the bloody _hell_ did you stop me? It would've been over before you even blinked your eyes. Fcking goddamned guards."

"Dilandau—"

"They were weak! Never in my life have I seen such pathetic frailties. Even the weakest of my Dragonslayers are ten times stronger than those incompetent fools. I—"

"Dilandau!" Folken said in a raised voice. It was still calm and controlled in a considerable amount. "You are underestimating those men. You of all people know that the only reason why your men are the way they are is because you beat them senseless until all they know is fear. And that fear has instilled a sense of loyalty. Haven't I told you that you should vent your anger on something other than the Dragonslayers? They are still human beings, Dilandau."

His red eyes flashed. "They have to be the best of the best, Strategos."

"Don't call me that." Folken picked up a flask containing a clear lavender liquid. "You know it irritates me."

Dilandau sat down on a stool and studied the concoction Folken was creating. Folken poured the purple liquid into a flask with red liquid and swished the combined liquid around until it blended smoothly together. Folken smiled grimly down at Dilandau and said, "Cheers," before taking a swig from flask.

"What the hell is that?" Dilandau asked.

"Grape and cranberry juice."

Dilandau jerked in his seat. "And you're studying it? I assumed you would conjure some sort of potion for intelligence or something like that. Not juice."

Folken took another gulp of the juice. "I didn't say I was."

"Your methods confuse me," Dilandau retorted before taking his leave. He felt weary, and that endless gnawing restlessness seemed to always be there with him. It would be there nagging him one moment and gone like the wind the next. He tugged at his collar, loosening the stays that choked him. "Damned guards."

"Sir!" greeted Chesta, a little too cheerfully for his own good. "Good afternoon."

"It's noon? The day's wasting. Come, Chesta. I want to duel." Dilandau pulled off his leather gloves.

"Sir? I was told not to move from my station," he reasoned uncertainly. He looked around for anyone to rescue him.

"Well, I'm telling you now to come with me. Have Miguel take your place. It'll be for just a little while. Don't worry, I won't go too hard on you," Dilandau said reassuringly, wondering if he could.

"Yes, sir." Chesta went to look for Miguel after bowing to Dilandau.

Dilandau almost snorted. Chesta was always so obedient. It wouldn't hurt him to retaliate every once in a while. He wandered into the lush garden and picked out a blood red rose. The thorns pricked his fingers but he didn't care. He watched as a fat bubble of dark red formed on the ball of his index finger. He held his finger over the petals and smiled as his blood stained the rose. Another drop and another. This was enough to keep his bloodlust at bay, even if it _was_ his own. Feeling better, he entered the arena. His good, obedient Chesta was waiting by the wall where an excellent array of weapons was hung.

"How shall we pursue our combat, Dilandau, sir?"

Dilandau felt the smooth handle of a spiked mace and moved on to the twin double-blade obsidian axe. Chesta looked as though he was trying to anticipate the sort of battle tech Dilandau was planning. Dilandau looked at the weapons, dissatisfied.

"How about a little bit of martial arts, Chesta?" Dilandau removed his bulky armor and placed them down beside the wall. He landed a side swept kick to a thick wooden pole. A crack starting from the point of contact spread like a tree's underground roots, extending far and wide. "My martial skills appear quite rusty."

"Yes, sir. Martial arts is just fine." Chesta too removed his armor and placed it next to Dilandau's. They both looked vulnerable without their usual protective covering. They circled each other, waiting for a sudden movement of muscles from the other to indicate the start of the battle. Dilandau suddenly lashed out his fist and made a loud _smack_ as it hit Chesta in the, ironically, chest. His body jerked back and he recovered just in time to block Dilandau's kick with his forearm. Dilandau sent Chesta flying with his infamous side sweep kick. Chesta slowly crawled to his feet, slightly winded.

"I must say, you're skills are still very much in tact, Dilandau, sir," he said breathlessly.

Dilandau impatiently waited for Chesta to make a move. "What are you waiting for? I don't have all day."

Eager to avoid a fatal blow, Chesta bent down and extended his leg, swinging it. Dilandau jumped up and landed another kick. This time Chesta lay sprawled on the matted floor.

"Come on, Chesta. Try harder." Dilandau positioned himself across the fallen boy.

Chesta stood up and brought his hands up, ready to intercept an attack. Dilandau grappled both Chesta's arms and pinned them down while he brought his leg up, kicking Chesta in the head. Chesta uttered a soft '_oof_' before slumping against Dilandau, who pushed him away. Chesta fell on the floor.

Dilandau stood before the heavily breathing boy. "That's enough for today."

It was a moment before Chesta answered, "Thank you."

He snorted. He had meant to keep his word about going easy on him and strangely, for once, he did. He picked up his armor and headed to the shower to cleanse himself of the day's grime and sweat.

* * *

Hitomi looked anxiously between Van's agitated face and Allen's worried one. She had no idea what was going on and envied Merle's wide eyed, knowing face. Hitomi listened carefully to what they were discussing and heard a strange yet familiar word. _Zaibach._

Allen leaned across the table. "It is clearly evident that the guards were attacked. But they have sworn that they did not cause the attack. They were merely standing at their posts when they were ambushed. One of them claims to have seen a red Zaibach Guymelef in the shadows of nearby trees."

"Dilandau," Van growled under his breath. "Who does he think he's fooling?"

Allen shook his head. "I don't understand why he would just attack your men like that. You have not done anything to provoke him, no?"

"I haven't. Foolish son of a btch. My instincts tell me that he's behind all the recent incursions," Van said in a harsh voice. "I don't know what the devil he's up to but I have a feeling it's something awful."

"I have heard that Dilandau has cases of mental instability . . . though I don't know how that ties in with the attacks." Allen stroked a strand of his own blond hair.

Hitomi could see the contempt on Van's face. He seemed to hold an intense grudge against this mysterious Dilandau. Every time she heard the name uttered aloud, her brain reeled and tried to remember where she had heard it before. She glanced around the table and saw Gaddes staring into space, deep in thought.

Finally Gaddes snapped out of his reverie and spoke in a loud, decisive voice. "I have theorized that the Zaibach forces are preparing for something massive. They have a deliberate reason for these particular intrusions. Why else would they penetrate our fortress wall? Why else would they abduct a close servant? Attack our guards? I think this is their way of warning us that we should take heed and reserve our strength in numbers."

"But why?" Van asked, deeply troubled. Hitomi was just as troubled. "Fanelia is a peaceful country. I will not allow them to take us down. I will fight to the death."

"Be reasonable, Van," Allen berated softly. "Fanelia needs their king to stay alive."

Hitomi secretly agreed.

"Have you told the Council yet?" Van asked Gaddes, who shook his head. "Good. I need to think this over."

Van stood up and left the council room. Merle looked as if she wanted to follow him, but remained rooted on her perch on the matted rug. She cast a lazy eye at Hitomi, who also remained in her seat. Hitomi glanced back at Balgus and found him in deep conversion with Allen. The looks on their faces carried a weight of weariness. Hitomi was vaguely aware that Allen had done much in the search for the perpetrators and it had begun to take its toll on him. He turned his head slightly and gave her a reassuring smile. Gaddes was busy pouring over the scroll laid before him. He always seemed to carry scrolls with him.

Hitomi slipped from the room and made her way to Van's chamber. She knocked, but when he didn't answer she grabbed the knob and found it unlocked. She peered into the dark but elegant room. The walls were a deep mahogany and a rich rose wooding covered the floor. To one side of the room, the sheer curtains were rippling. Hitomi realized this was the balcony. Walking carefully, she crossed to the balcony and saw Van sitting on the railing, back slouched. His legs were swinging half-heartedly.

"Hey," she uttered quietly.

"Hitomi," he started, surprised that she had dared to enter the king's—his—room. "What are you doing here?"

"What does it look like?" And then in a gentler voice, "What are you going to do?"

He heaved a tired sigh. "I don't know. Sometimes, I really want to escape and free the burden from my shoulders. I become tired of deciding the fate of Fanelia. It's not always easy to choose what is right for my kingdom. Especially now that Zaibach has damaged part of my fortress. My people expect me to retaliate but they don't realize that they could lose their lives in doing so."

Hitomi stood beside him and placed a supportive hand on his shoulder. "You've got to be strong, Van. Your people put their faith in you and in the dark, you're their light. In desperate times, you are their savior. They look up to you and now, they need you to be their king."

He looked up at her with slight awe in his eyes. Suddenly, she felt embarrassed for saying all that and quickly added, "Even though sometimes you're obnoxious and conceitedly arrogant, I might just put my faith in you."

Van laughed softly and turned around and slid off the railing. He tenderly cupped his hand around for face. "You surprise me, Hitomi."

She blushed fervently and stammered, "Well, you surprise me too."

"Your words seem to have a strange effect on me," he replied airily. He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her in a comforting hug and then buried his head in her shoulder.

She stiffened at first but then gradually relaxed as she returned the hug. She didn't exactly know how to react to this sudden impulse of his. He usually seemed awkward with showing his affection, but now he was making an effort. She could tell. Hesitantly, she reached up and soothingly stroked his ebony hair. It was something she could do. At last Van lifted his head and touched her face again. He looked intently at her before he leaned down to press his lips against her cheek, near the corner of her mouth. Silently, he went inside.

Hitomi stood on the veranda for another moment. She was stunned by the fact that he had the nerves to do such a thing. He certainly learned to allow his emotions to surface. It was absolutely unexpected . . . yet warmly pleasant. A small smile formed on her lips as she left the balcony.

Inside, she found Van lying on the bed and stopped to study his resting form. He was lying on his stomach with his arms stretched upon the pillow. Hitomi turned toward the door and faintly heard him say, "Thank you." She nodded to let him know she heard. Downstairs, Merle was arguing ferociously with one of the guards from before. Up close, Hitomi saw how badly he was hurt. One of his legs was broken. There were deep welts descending his arms as well as his face. Bruises painted themselves on his jaw, nose, forehead, chest, ribs, and so on. His lips were severely cut and the blood had clotted into a large lump. His left eye was swollen shut. Hitomi felt bile rising up her mouth.

"Why weren't your guards up? You're guards for gods' sake!" she fumed. Her hands were gripped on her hips. She towered over the sitting guard.

"I'm sorry, Lady Merle. I should have been more alert," the guard mumbled, eyes cast down. "My incompetence deserves the best of your punishments."

Hitomi pitied the poor man. "Merle, aren't you being a little harsh?"

"Of course not!" she said scornfully. "It's my duty."

"No it isn't." Hitomi glanced at the man. "Who treated you?"

The man looked up, startled. "Lady Merle, miss."

She stared at Merle, astonished. Under that layer of rambunctious toughness, Merle had another side to her. She took it in her own hands to care for the Fanelian royal fleet, though she did a poor job of treating them. The guard slouching before Hitomi was an excellent example of one. "What did you use on the poor man?"

Merle stubbornly crossed her arms and refused to look at Hitomi. "Does it matter?"

"Yes," she fizzed. "His wounds won't heal properly with what you used. What's this on his face?" Hitomi reached and gingerly swiped a little of the ointment. She examined it and found it similar to petroleum jelly. "Vaseline?"

Merle resumed her bull headed way. "It was the best I could do. It's not like I used acid."

Hitomi sighed. "This won't do. Don't you have a nurse or something?"

"I _am_ the nurse, Hitomi," she said grudgingly, with a glare.

"Oh." Somehow, she realized that Merle had not wanted her to find out about it.

"Yea . . . " Merle stiffly walked over to the man and examined his cast. Satisfied with how it held his fractured leg, she returned to the table and plunked into the chair. "I know you know that I'm not very good at this, but Fanelia cannot afford to risk hiring outsiders right now. I've only been recently hired. If you don't mind we could use all the help we can get."

Hitomi nodded. "I'll try."

"Trying isn't good enough."

"I'll do my best," she said through gritted teeth.

"Good. Get some rest. I'll take care of this guy."

"Okay," she agreed. "Don't stay up too late, Merle."

Hitomi saw Eni sitting by the window when she went up to her room. Eni turned and smiled gratefully at her. She stood up and closed the door for Hitomi.

"Good evening, Lady Hitomi."

"Good evening. You're finally talking," she noted. She sat down on the edge of the bed.

Eni smiled. "Yes. Your compassion has shown me that I can trust you and confide in you. And thus, my loyalty lies in you."

"You must be tired. Here, you can have the bed. I'll sleep on the lounge tonight." Hitomi got up and offered the bed to Eni, who shook her head.

"I cannot—I mustn't. It's not right. A servant must never have such luxury," she quickly rejected. To avoid the subject, Eni went to the large armoire and pulled out a pair of pajamas. "Here is your sleepwear. Do you require my assistance to help you undress?"

"No, it's okay." Hitomi went into the bathroom and put on the pajamas. When she entered the bedroom, Eni was lying on the lounge. After suppressing a sigh, Hitomi climbed onto the bed and went to sleep. When Hitomi awoke the next morning, she saw that the traumatized Eni was still asleep. Not wanting her to wake up, Hitomi crept quietly out of the room and down into the entrance hall where she found Van and Merle lying oddly on the marble floor. She flipped Merle over and saw a slight cut on her cheek but she couldn't find anything else that would've knocked her out. Next, Hitomi pushed Van on his back and drew back at the sight of his chest.

A large gash the size of the base of his forearm was etched there. It was bleeding freely through his slightly torn shirt. Hitomi didn't know how to stop the bleeding and ran into the kitchen to get some towels and dabbed at the flowing blood. It seeped though the towels and continued to flow, though a little less than before. She ran to get Eni and the two hurried down the stairs. Since Eni appeared somewhat weak from her incident, Hitomi left her to carry Merle onto one of the pallets. After much pulling and yanking and excessive grunting, Hitomi managed to hoist Van's body onto another pallet.

"What do we do now, Lady Hitomi?" asked Eni in a small voice.

Hitomi frowned. "I don't know. Maybe Alan knows something. I'll send a servant to fetch him. Um, you can stay here and keep an eye on them. Will that be all right?"

Eni nodded.

"Okay." Hitomi got a hold of one of the maids from the kitchen and sent her to Allen with a message for his assistance. When she returned to the alcove, Eni was sitting in a small chair with her hands folded on her lap, who acknowledged Hitomi's return with a short smile. Hitomi checked on both Merle and Van and found them in a worse condition than before. She looked worriedly at their wounds and was surprised to find the guard from the previous night in the same condition. She was surprised he was even there with them.

"Eni, how did this man get here?"

Eni looked up, a little fearful for some reason. "Well, he sort of stumbled into the room looking feverish and collapsed on me. And I managed to drag him onto the bed. He's been like that ever since and Lord Van and Lady Merle have been too. Are—are they going to be all right?"

"Yes, they are. We just have to wait for Allen to show up with medication for their wounds." Hitomi stood silently for a while, contemplating the scenario. "I wonder who could've done this. And why the guards were unaware of it."

As if the news of the incident had some how spread word by themselves, the household rushed and crowded into the room. Many had worried looks on their faces. The Head Advisor uttered a sharp intake of breath, his face pale at the sight of his beloved king. He fell to his knees and grasped Van's limp hands, pressing it lovingly against his chubby face. Hitomi thought his actions were strangely dramatic.

"How did this happen?" the fat man demanded, his eyes gleaming. "How is it possible that the perpetrator who assaulted the king has gone unnoticed by the very eyes of his own faculty?"

The household shrunk from his sputtering outrage. Hitomi felt sorry for the guards. It seemed as if they were always getting yelled at. It wasn't exactly their fault but everyone else seemed to think so. Balgus still hadn't returned, which Van had found strangely odd. It was as if Van depended on Balgus to help him reign over Fanelia, like he looked up to him. The Head Advisor now ushered everyone from the room and ordered them to return to their jobs or station. Some had tears in their eyes, and it dawned on Hitomi that they really admired and respected their king. This was something new to her. Finally it was only her and the fat advisor. He looked inquisitively at her, almost accusingly.

"I am humbly grateful for all that you have done," he said in a genuinely gratifying voice.

Hitomi was surprised. He had seemed like a stuck up, rich, fat—oversized, for lack of a better word—man. "Er . . . thank you."

"I very much appreciate it, Lady Hitomi." He then glanced at Van's pale face, if it was even possible that his tanned face could look pale, and got up on his feet.

The Head Advisor was about to head out of the door when Hitomi stopped him. "I never caught your name, sir."

He smiled broadly at her, and answered before leaving. "Well, you never asked! My name is Jacques."

_Jacques._ The name suited him well. Hitomi barely rested in a chair when a messenger came running in. He had a rolled up parchment in his hands, which he handed to Hitomi.

"From Allen," he panted, doubled over with his hands on his knees. "He was busy at the moment and could not . . . (pant) . . . come to your aid. Therefore, he has included a letter with precise instructions."

"Thanks." She waited for him to leave but he didn't.

"My coins?" he asked.

"Coins?"

"Yes, you're supposed to pay me."

"Don't listen to him," a groggily Van whispered huskily. "Leave at once, Purge."

"Sorry, Lord Van." He bowed and ran out the way he came.

Hitomi went over to Van, whose eyes were half opened. "I'm glad you're awake."

"Hmm. What's that?"

Hitomi looked at the parchment and unrolled it. Inside was a set of instructions on how to treat the mysterious illness that had claimed Van, Merle, and the guard. She was to crush glarl leaves and use the paste to cover the wounds. _Glarl?_ "I'm supposed to find some glarl leaves. But I don't know what the heck they look like."

Van closed his eyes and weakly reopened them a second later. "They're a dark green. Grows in patches of flowers. Mostly daisies and primroses. In the forest. Can't miss them."

Hitomi wished he would describe it more specifically and was disappointed that talking had drained his energy. She grabbed a thick cloak and pulled it over her shoulders. A kitchen maid eagerly handed her a small basket. Hitomi thanked her and left the castle. The sky was covered in fluffy puffs of clouds, some white, some gray. It was slightly windy but not enough to keep her inside. She felt her heart drop when she looked around. The whole country was practically encased in a forest. She didn't know where to start looking. She sighed. She was going to just go straight out of the town and into the forest that lay beyond it.

After some time, Hitomi wasn't sure how long she had been walking, she reached the outer part of the forest. In front of her were trees with massive trunks scattered in no particular order. There were some trees with skinny trunks as well. Hitomi stepped further into the thicket in search of the herbal leaves. Garl, glar, or something like that. She almost wished that she had taken the letter with her but she had been afraid she would lose it. Van had said the they were dark green and grew around wild flowers. Allen had written that she would find seeds behind the leaves, similar to that of ferns, only these leaves grew on the ground.

Gathering her cloak around her, she pushed past a tightly knitted network of overgrown shrubs. A nearby bristle snagged at her cloak, puncturing and ripping a small tear in the cloth. She tugged the cloak free and shivered when a cold draft breezed under it. She was glad the maid had forced her to bring the cloak, for the clouds were gathering in a great haste. She wrapped the cloak around herself a little tighter.

She clutched the fairly decent basket, which was woven from long strips of resilient tree bark. Hitomi stumbled into an area embodying a celestial shrine dedicated to some god. And there right next to it were the leaves, but someone was standing on top of them, crushing some under their boots. Someone with white, moonlight hair donning a layer of black leather and red armor. Hitomi held her breath and inched closer and flinched when a twig snapped, perforating the tranquil silence.

The pale figure abruptly turned around. It was a girl with ferocious, ruby red eyes and pale, milky skin. The scowl and knitted eyebrows distorted the delicate features of her face. Hitomi couldn't understand why the girl was dressed in such attire, like a man! Especially in this particular time period. And the proud, barbaric way she held herself only emphasized the word 'masculine.'

"What the hell are you staring at?" she roared in deep, male's voice.

Hitomi recoiled. Her voice certainly matched her appearance, but not her façade. "Your—your voice! Is that why you came for the leaves? They're supposed to cure about anything."

The boyish girl gave her a weird look and growled, "What are you talking about, boy?"

_Boy...?_

* * *

Dilandau made an opening in the bushes and peered through it. He saw the Fanelian king perched on the balcony with his legs swung over the railing. A girl was also there. She had her hand on his shoulder and was saying something to him. Dilandau frowned and studied the movement of her lips but could only make out a few words.

" . . . fortress . . . dark . . . time . . . "

His eyebrows knitted together. By fortress, he assumed they were talking about Vione and thinking of penetrating its defenses. He crouched lower behind the bushes and tried to catch more words. Suddenly the girl cocked her head to the side and stare directly at the bushes where he was hiding. He cursed under his breath and stayed motionless. Just when he was about to fall over, the girl finally looked away and continued talking to the king.

"Wretched bitch," he muttered before resuming his observation. He nearly fell forward when he saw the Fanelian touch the girl's face in an affectionate gesture. Where was the fierce warrior Dilandau had always perceived? There was no room for passion for a king such as Van. Dilandau felt disgust and contempt for this show of weakness. "You are a fool, Van."

His faced twisted into a scowl as the two embraced each other. This was not what he was expecting to see. This was _not_ what he wanted to see. Earlier, Dilandau had envisioned himself seeing the king asleep in his royal bed. He would sneak in and silently creep toward the boy king. The kind would then wake up, alarmed. Before he would realize the situation Dilandau would've slashed a knife across his neck, splitting the vital veins and arteries. But it would not be deep enough to kill the pitiable king. Dilandau would watch as the rose red blood spilled like a dying fountain, coloring the Fanelian's shirt and trickling down his chest. The king would try to speak but no. Dilandau had attacked with such precision that even if he tried Van would not be able to make a sound. And this was exactly what Dilandau wanted to see.

Dilandau glanced back at Van and saw that he was alone. Where was the girl?

* * *


	9. Sweet Nostalgia

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Escaflowne or its characters. Escaflowne is the property of Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment. I'm just an innocent person who happened to write a fanfic on Escaflowne.

* * *

**Chapter 9**

**Sweet Nostalgia**

* * *

"_Dilandau, my boy. You are my perfection. The perfect soldier," said the tall, sinewy looking man in a soft silky voice. The other Madoushi scientists had exited the room. "It is such a shame you take a great interest in dancing with fire. Who knows when the flames will take away my prized possession?"_

_The man's black robe was marked with golden letterings, incantations of some sort. He paced around the high platform with short even steps. He extended his large rough hands over the pale, unconscious figure on the metallic table and touched the boy's delicate flaxen hair. The man's face contortedas a grin emerged from under the layer of rough blotchy skin. He felt the boy's soft supple skin and longed to exploit it,to markthe flawless skin with a sharp scalpel. To dig under the skin and produce hideous lumps, pock marking the boy's only flaw. The man sighed and moved over to the tray of surgical tools._

"_I've always despised your skin, Dilandau. It is brittle like a woman's. But I am afraid I will ruin you if I remove that filthy hide. I have searched for years for a way to fix it, and I am sadly disappointed. If only I knew. You mustn't squirm now. I will be gentle."_

_Dilandau's eyes snapped open. Bright, white lights were blinding his sensitive eyes. He tried to reach up and cover them, but his hands were strapped down with thick leather binds. He lifted his head and saw that his feet too were bound. He realized that he was completely and obscenely naked. Not an inch of cloth was covering his body. He shivered. Someone was touching his stomach. Dilandaus eyes followed the hand up to the man's face. Instantly, Dilandau felt his body grow numb with hatred and fear._

"_Get your filthy hands off me, you sick bastard," he growled angrily. He jerked at the straps on his arms and legs._

"_Now, now, Dilandau. Is that how you treat your father?" the man asked, his amusement clearly evident in his eyes._

"_You are _**not**_ my father! Touch me again and I'll kill you!" Dilandau roared. He desperately wrestled with the stupid binds, growing ever more frustrated and furious._

_The man leaned down over Dilandau, caressing his skin. "Why must you resist so? You should know that even you cannot break from these confinements. It pains me to see you so wild. Tell me, my boy, what is it that makes you act like this?"_

"_Kiss my ass, shitface. You perverted horse fucker! Stop _touching_ me!" Dilandau wriggled and writhed with all his might trying to prevent the man from further violating him. He would never admit it to anyone but he was more afraid of this man than anything in the whole world. This man could lure him into the world of unconsciousness where he would never know if he would wake up or not. Trap him inside his mind and do numbers on him and he would never know._

_The man now grew angry, and jumping on top of Dilandau, gripped Dilandau's head in his hands and banged it down on the table. He drew his face close to Dilandau's and whispered in a harsh, black voice, "You listen to me, boy. And listen good."_

_Dilandau had the intention of rolling his eyes. _It's well, fucker._ But he only stared stubbornly at the white placid wall behind the man._

"_You know very well that I have in my hands the power to skin you alive, literally, and make you watch as I remove another man's skin and sew it onto your raw body. I may very well do it now but I prefer to watch you shrink in fear at the very mention of it. You are fortunate that Folken watches over you like he does. He has forbid me to continue my 'bizarre' experimentations on you. But you understand, do you not? I'm only doing it because I care for you. A father's dream to make you the best of the best. Isn't that what you want?"_

"_No. Right now I want you out of my face," Dilandau replied coldly. "And I want you to release me."_

"_Very well, my dear boy. Until next time." The man touched him a final time, running his hands down Dilandau's thighs. And there was no one to hear Dilandau's cries of anguish and humiliation._

* * *

Where was he? Dilandau got up on his knees and looked agitatedly around. How long had he lain there on the ground? It was now daylight. He must've fallen asleep but how did he end up here? It was no where near the Fanelian castle. He wasn't even remotely aware where he was. Without registering it, it all came to him now. As the images again flooded his mind, he clutched his head as it began to throb with an unbearable ache. He clenched his teeth. Slowly the pain ebbed and he straightened up. He shuddered from relief. While staggering into the unknown forest, he loosened his collar and found it much easier to breathe.

It had been close, perhaps, too close. He had nearly lost control. Nearly killed himself. He had never lost control. Not once in his life. But this time was different. Someone had interfered. Someone incredibly stupid.

He sighed heavily and rubbed his face. Dilandau stood up and stared at the dark mass of glarl leaves. He didn't know how he had wound up here. His thoughts had taken a hold of him, again. The forest was eerily silent. He continued staring at the leaves. The loud, dull cracking of a tiny branch ended the silence, grating his nerves just when he had found peace and quiet. He whipped around.

Standing before him was a boy wearing a large dark green cloak like thing. He was rather small looking, weak. Dilandau hadn't realized it was cold. He sniffed the air and smelled a thunder storm approaching in the distance. An icy wind whipped past him. The boy was now staring at him with his large green eyes.

"What the hell are you staring at?" he snarled at the boy.

The strangely rosy, fair skinned boy flinched as Dilandau had smacked him. "Your—your voice! Is that why you came for the leaves? They're supposed to cure about anything."

What? Nothing was wrong with his voice. And what about _his_? The boy sounded like he hadn't hit puberty yet and it sounded as if a frog jumped down his throat. It was grinding his nerves. "What are you talking about, boy?"

The boy's eyes widened for a moment and then narrowed. "Aren't you here for the leaves, _girl?_"

_GIRL?_ Was this boy stupid? Him, Dilandau, a petty little girl. Dilandau looked menacingly into the boy's eyes. "You think I'm a girl?"

The boy nodded harmlessly, his short hairs swishing forward.

Dilandau's irritation began to rise and he had to ball his fists to simmer down. _So this little weasel thinks I'm a girl._ "And why do you think that?"

"Well, you certainly look like one," the boy began, placing a small, shapely hand under the side of his face.

Dilandau felt insulted. "I most certainly do not."

The boy merely shrugged and bent down to gather a handful of glarl leaves. "Yes, you do . . . do you have a sore throat?"

"No," he snapped. What was the kid trying to get at?

The boy now looked uncertain. "Are you sure? Take some of these leaves, crush them, and smear the paste onto that cut on your face. It's bleeding, girl. Here, let me do help you."

Something inside him snapped and he wanted to hurt the boy with an utmost desire. Break his goddamn arms, ribs, legs. Dilandau seized the boy's arms and gripped it tight. The weak muscles under his fingers made him cringe with scorn. This boy was weak! Dilandau had no tolerance for weakness. He gave the boy a violent shake. The boy gasped at his head snapped back, and the cloak parted, revealing the boy's unusual outfit.

Dilandau gasped as well. This boy . . .

* * *

Hitomi was growing irritably tired of the girl's stupid and pointless questions, but when Hitomi had mentioned the cut on her face, she hadn't anticipated the girl to assault her with such forceful strength. It deemed unnatural. Now the girl's eyes were wide, either with astonishment or horror, Hitomi couldn't tell. The look in her eyes was almost—almost—maniac.

"You're just a girl!"

Hitomi drew her head back, confused. "Of course I am! What'd you think I was? You should've known. You're one yourself."

The girl's iron grip on Hitomi's arm tightened to the point where Hitomi could almost hear bones cracking. "Impossible . . . "

"You really should get your throat checked. It sounds odd. A high sign of strep throat!" Hitomi looked concern at the girl, and was given another violent jerk.

"Oh goddammit! Can't you recognize a male when you see one? You stupid girl," the girl growled in that low, manly voice of hers.

Hitomi winced. "You mean you're a boy."

"Yes, damn it. It wouldn't have taken a half dead dumb ass that long to have figured it out. Gods . . . " The girl, now boy, let go of Hitomi's arms and spat viciously on the ground.

Hitomi narrowed her eyes. "It's not my fault you look like a girl!"

The extremely pale boy whirled at her, fists clenched and ready to sock her. "I do not look like one! If you hadn't stumbled upon me wearing that unsightly cloak, resembling a stupid boy, this wouldn't have happened!"

For a while the two didn't say anything. Hitomi's arms felt so bruised she didn't think she could touch it without wincing. But she touched it anyway and wasn't surprised that she flinched from the tender pain. She looked over and saw the boy's cut bleeding shallowly. He, however, didn't seem to notice. He was that absorbed in his thoughts.

"It's bleeding," she said softly. The boy looked up. "Your face."

His hand slowly reached up to touch the wound. The bright blood coated the tips of his white fingers. An angry cloud passed over his eyes and he muttered, "Fuck." And then he was gone through the forest.

Hitomi glanced up at the spot where the boy had just been. She thought he was a mysterious son of a gun. She couldn't figure why he had suddenly run away like that. After collecting the necessary quantity of glarl leaves, she returned safely to the castle. There she found Merle and Van arguing like a bunch of fighting chickens. It was something about who should stay in bed while the other would go get something to eat. They both didn't look well enough to do the latter.

"Can it, you load of sick beetles!" Hitomi barked in an orderly voice. "Get back in bed and wait patiently. If either of you get worse I will put you through hell."

They immediately stopped and obediently climbed back on to their pallets, not used to hearing Hitomi yell with such authority, while murmuring "Yes, ma'am."

Hitomi stationed herself in a chair facing them and began to extract the leaves in a round clay bowl. It took some time to do so and she wondered how much time had passed. Every once in a while she would lift her eyes to see if either Van or Merle woke up. Her next task was to crush the seeds separately from the leaves. She sighed. It was going to take a while. Her thoughts wandered back to the strange encounter. She hadn't sensed any extremely evil vibes from him but then again he could've been masking it from her. And she could not believe that he was a boy! He had such feminine facial appearances.

But was worse was that he thought _she_ was a boy. For gods' sake, she had a freaking sore throat. She couldn't have sounded like a man . . . could she? Hitomi groaned. Her cold was getting to her. It was messing up her mood, turning her into a PMSing bitch. There—she had used bitch. She never used bitch, much less said it. Hitomi went over to Merle with the bowl of slaughtered leaves and gently dabbed the paste onto her wound. Merle's eyes immediately opened, pained but angry. Obviously, she hadn't expected it to sting so much.

"Gods, could you do it any harder?" Merle hissed through clenched teeth.

"Would you like me to?" Hitomi hissed back, slightly glad Merle's vigor still remained.

Merle pointedly closed her eyes, ignoring Hitomi's remark, and went to sleep again. Hitomi moved on to the resting Van. She pulled down his blanket to reveal a fairly long gash on his chest. Merle was lucky hers was just a graze. Van's was going to hurt like a mother. Hitomi scooped a small amount of the glarl paste and applied it to his injury. Van's face registered the searing pain but he didn't move or make a sound. She continued until she was finished. Van touched her hand and opened his eyes. She thought he was going to thank her.

"Will you get me some water?" he asked innocently, eyes twinkling.

It occurred to her that he knew she was expecting a word of gratitude and used it to his advantage. _Jerk._ She came back with a glass of water and stiffly handed it to him. He drank it with a feeble attempt at a grin.

"Thanks, Hitomi," he said appreciatively this time. He lay back down and closed his eyes, exhausted from the exertion.

Hitomi heard a rustling behind her and turned around. Eni was standing at the door way looking like she didn't know what to do. Hitomi went over to her and was shocked to find tears trickling down Eni's face. "Eni, what's wrong?"

She shook her head and covered her face. Then in a muffled voice, "I'm sorry . . . sorry."

"What are you sorry for?" Hitomi asked in a soft voice.

"I—I couldn't help them. I am useless. I wanted to impress you . . . but I couldn't do anything," she cried miserably. She hastily wiped her eyes with the sleeves of her shirt. "I am pathetic. You mustn't listen to me."

Hitomi handed a tissue to her. "It's not your fault. Anyone could have been in your situation. Let's get you cleaned up."

Hitomi placed a supportive arm on Eni's shoulder and led her down the corridor. Hitomi was surprised that Eni was the same height as her. She didn't remember Eni being that tall. Perhaps, Eni had a tendency to slouch which would explain this sudden change in height. Anyway, Hitomi brought her to into the kitchen and sat her down in a chair. The kitchen was unusually void of the cooks and maids. Hitomi shrugged, thinking that they were on break, and dampened a cloth. She handed it to Eni, who used it to clean her tear stained face.

Suddenly a cool hand slipped over Hitomi's mouth and she tried to bite the hand but it clamped tightly on to her mouth. Before another attempt could be made, she was quickly blindfolded and muzzled. At least her arms were free. As soon as that thought entered her head, her arms were tied in the back and a string was attached to her tied feet. She felt like she was being treated like an animal. From some where in the room, she heard Eni's stifled cries and wondered if she too was being bound.

Hitomi could not believe her luck. It was a strange coincidence that no one was there to come to their aid. As if this was planned out to every detail. The villains had to know the exact schematics of the castle in order to have carried it out so successfully. There was a traitor inside the walls of the castle. But who? She couldn't imagine Merle being the traitor. She was too rambunctious. Obviously Van was out of the question. And Eni too. Balgus . . . he too could not be the traitor. Balgus was out of town and most trusted by Van. The fat head advisor? He seemed like a fickle, impertinent old man but he was brutally honest. Who could it be?

It had to be one of the servants, but that would mean death for them if someone found out. And most of them were too frightful to loose their jobs and they seemed terribly moved by Van's sudden illness. Hitomi couldn't think anymore. She was lifted and thrown over someone's shoulder like a bag of rice. The air was knocked out of her. She couldn't help but squirm aggressively when they placed their hand under her butt to keep her from falling. She felt immensely violated.

Promptly, a door opened and the open air rushed through her hair. She was carried for a few feet and tossed over something curved and lumpy. The wind was knocked out of her again. Where were the bastards taking her? Something landed on the side of her. It was warm. Before she had time to figure what it was, she was propped up against someone. So that was what it was. It was a human. Hitomi vaguely wondered if it was Eni. She nudged the human with her shoulder, who gave an angry grunt. She immediately stopped. Obviously, that was not Eni.

The human muttered something to someone, and leaned forward against Hitomi. They started moving forward in a lolling sort of way. Hitomi's legs brushed against a soft, stiff material and she realized she was sitting on a horse. A horse could go for hours. Hitomi would never know which way she was going. A warm cinnamon-y aroma sifted under her nose. It was coming from the human's breath. Hitomi made a face. The human was breathing into her face!

She sighed through the gag. She struggled against the bonds but found it entirely useless only to wear her out. She had tried to throw herself off the horse but the human grabbed her before she could slide down and jammed her back onto the horse. Not once did the human utter a word. Hitomi did not know how much time had elapsed since they had ridden on the horse. _This is quite depressing._

"Let's stop here for tonight. Spread out. Don't stay too close to each other," the human's voice rumbled in a soft silvery voice. Hitomi's head perked up. She recognized the voice but she couldn't place where she had heard it. There was a movement and the human wasn't beside her anymore. Suddenly she was propelled forward and found herself sitting awkwardly on the soft ground. There were more shuffling and galloping until the sound slowly faded away.

_I'm alone now. They probably took Eni somewhere else so that we wouldn't be able to talk to each other. How stupid. It's not like we could escape in this deserted place._ Hitomi's legs were starting to numb. Her arms ached from being tied for so long. An owl hooted loudly near her.

"Do not scream or bite me when I remove your gag, or I will starve you until the brink of insanity.Do I hear an agreement?" the same voice asked.

Hitomi nodded vigorously. She was so hungry. Nothing else mattered at the moment. Her gag was removed and she obediently remained silent. "And the blindfold?"

"What about it?"

"I need to see what I'm eating."

The human uttered a sharp laugh. "Do you think I'll poison you?"

"It's possible."

"Why in the name of gods would I poison you after hauling you all that distance? It would be incredibly stupid of me. I could do much better."

"I know _you_. You're that boy I saw in the forest!" Hitomi exclaimed.

"Does it matter?" he asked snappishly after a moment's hesitation.

"Why'd you kidnap us?"

"That's none of your business."

"Fine, but remove the blindfolds. There's really no point in leaving it on. I already know who you are," Hitomi reasoned. It was true. She was far enough from the castle to not know how to get back to it.

He cursed under his breath before complying with rough movements. She blinked her eyes in the darkness, waiting for them to adjust. She couldn't believe how much time had passed. She held gestured to her hands. "Untie them too." And added, "Please."

The pale boy scowled. Hitomi sighed audibly. "Unless you want to feed me with your own hands then be my guess."

He looked as if he wanted to hit her and seemed to be doing a very poor job of restraining himself. Once Hitomi's hands were free, she relaxed a little. She had persuaded him to free her from the blindfold and ties but he would not be so willing if she asked again. Hitomi decided not to push her luck. She would untie her legs herself.

The boy was now stoking the fire, adding small dry twigs every now and then. The flames kept growing and growing until Hitomi felt as if it would leap in her face and burn it. She backed away. "Don't you think that's enough?"

He grunted a reply. "No. It's harmless at this stage."

"It doesn't look like it. We don't need a forest fire. It's pretty warm outside."

"Whatever." He continued coaxing the fire.

"What are we eating anyway?" she asked as she peered over at his bag.

"You'll see," he said distantly.

Hitomi sighed again. He was a horrible companion to be around with, but there was something familiar about him. There was that déjà vu feeling again. She looked at his face and saw a nicely healing scar. Too bad it had to be on his face. "What happened to your face?"

"A curious little mite, aren't you?" he sneered. He grabbed something out of the bag and threw it at her.

Hitomi unwrapped it and saw that it was a rice ball. She took a huge bite out of it. "Yes, I'm curious."

"What makes you think I'll tell you?"

She looked intently at him. "You're the one Van calls Dilandau . . . yes?"

His eyes flashed. "What makes you think it's me?"

She shrugged, slightly perturbed by his sudden anger. She was surprised he hadn't hit her yet. "I was just guessing. But now I know you're Dilandau because you sort of gave it away. There was no need to get all touchy about it. Anyway, who gave you that scar?"

"Didn't you hear me say it was none of your business?"

"No." She finished her rice ball and threw the wrapping into the fire. The flames leaped eagerly for it and calmed down after claiming its prize.

"Well, I did."

"No . . . you didn't."

"Are you stupid as well as incredibly deaf?" Dilandau jumped to his feet, scaring the crap out of the horse by the sudden movement. Its legs lashed out and kicked him in the head and then it ran away deep into the forest. Hitomi went over to the unconscious Dilandau and frowned. He was more trouble than even she herself was.

She would blackmail him into taking her back home to the castle. What would Merle do if she was in Hitomi's feet right now? Merle would definitely beat him to a pulp and then drag him by his hair through a field of nettles. Hitomi had to admire Merle's fierce intuition. It was there to protect her against danger. Hitomi eyes flickered to the pile of ropes on the ground. She could tie him and wait until he woke up again but she needed to clean herself up. Her arms and legs were marked with soot, probably from Dilandau's dirty gloves. But mostly to clear her head with cold water.

She had to find a stream but she couldn't leave him there. He would probably sneak up behind her and kill her before she would even realize it. This was a worst case scenario. What could he possibly do besides kill her? Torture her? He had no reason . . . did he? Why was she even kidnapped anyway? Hitomi decided that she would make him tell her the minute he regained consciousness. Since the horse had disappeared she would have to drag him to the stream. She quickly erased the thought. That would only make him sink deeper into unconsciousness and who knows when he would wake up. She didn't think she could wait that long. She could carry him . . .

Hitomi lifted his arms and staggered from the weight. She would have to take off his armor. After throwing the armor some where in the dark, she was finally able to carry him on her back. Holding tightly the ropes in her hand, she took a few steps. She didn't know where she was going but she kept on walking anyway. As soon as she heard the gentle trickling sound of running water she hurried up. When she reached the bank, she threw Dilandau off her back and heard him land with a loud thump. She distinctly heard him groan.

She kneeled in front of the stream and cupped her hands under the ice cold water. She splashed some on her face and gasped from the cold. She drank a little and found it very refreshing. She waded in the rest of the way, ignoring the numbing water. Dawn was slowly approaching in the distance. So far, it hadn't begun to rain yet. Hitomi was glad. She had not shelter to stay under for the rain to stop. She tied Dilandau's arms and legs and dragged him toward the water and dumped his head under.

His body jerked awake and his mouth opened, which was a very bad idea. He immediately sat up, sputtering and coughing. "What the hell did you think you were doing? Drowning me? I do not go down that easily."

He began wrestling with the ropes on his arms and legs. "Did you bind me?"

Hitomi merely nodded and sat down near him.

"Where's my freaking armor? What the hell are you? Some sort of female rapist?" Dilandau furiously struggled against the ropes some more. Finally he gave up with a defeated slump of his shoulders. "What do you want with me?"

"Well, I decided that we need to negotiate an agreement. We could help each other," she said slowly.

He gestured to his legs. "And you call this a negotiation? Untie me first, woman."

"Or I could leave you in the stream to freeze to death."

He gave her a dirty look. "Fine. What do we need to 'negotiate.'"

"I was thinking that you take me back to the castle and I free you."

Dilandau gave a loud snort. "And I will just kidnap you again. Come on, what kind of a negotiation is this?"

Hitomi sent a wave of water into his face. He flinched from the cold, turning even paler than he already was. The moonlight made him look so pale. He shook his head as a way to wipe his face and get the water out of his hair. "Like you have one that's better."

"Of course," he said in a haughty voice. Very girl like. Hitomi felt another déjà vu coming on. Had she some how met him before?

"So what is it?"

"Just wait til morning. I'm tired now. Goodnight." Dilandau turned his back and curled into a ball.

"Queer," she muttered under her breath. Hitomi also turned her back and lay on her side. The dream came again. There was the heavy fog and the invisible being calling to her in a lilting voice. The same thing happened. She was dressed in the white toga like gown, wading into the water. The being recited the same riddle to her and Hitomi still did not understand the meaning of it. However the dream ended differently.

"**Hitomi, find me."**

Her dream self frowned in confusion. "But I don't know where to look."

"**Silly, I'm right here."**

"Where?" Hitomi felt a soft silky material brush past her arm.

"**Don't look too hard."** The being laughed.

"I don't see you," Hitomi cried as she ran all over, as her head swiveled from side to side.

"**Come closer,"** the being whispered in a papery voice. **"Closer."**

Hitomi followed the voice, ears straining. Her feet slipped against the slippery rocks. She couldn't see where she was going. She couldn't stop her feet from moving. Her hands instinctively reached out to make contact with anything but it felt nothing but air.

The being laughed again, echoing lightly. **"Don't fall now."**

She couldn't breathe. The warning came too late. She was falling. Too soon to stop, too fast to see.

* * *

Dilandau woke up shivering like a wet dog. He looked around. There was that wretched girl who had tied him up. She was still sleeping. Where was he? He guessed that the girl had managed to drag him here but how far had she traveled? Where was his horse? Then he remembered. The white stallion had knocked him out cold. It must've run away right after.

He sighed heavily and tried to look for something to cut the ropes with. He spotted an abandoned spear sticking out of the rocks. He crawled and wriggled toward it, glad the girl was not awake to see him look like a fool. He cursed at her and continued crawling. At long last he reached the spear and placed the sharp spear head between the ropes on his hand and began moving his hand up and down in a sawing motion. Moments later the spear cut through and Dilandau moved on to free his legs.

He stood up and stretched his cramped legs and arms. "Gods, this feels good."

He glanced at the sleeping form. He was going to get her for this. He hadn't though she was smart enough to take advantage of her situation. But apparently, he was wrong. She was so annoyingly curious. He would be glad to get rid of her once he reached his destination, how ever long that may be. Without his horse the trip was going to take a while.

Why in the living hell did _she_ have to mention the wound on his face for? Couldn't she have been satisfied with just staring at it? No, she had to ask about it. _Damn._ His hands unconsciously went to his cheek. The images came quick and sharp.

"_What are you doing here, Dilandau?" Van asked in a grave voice._

_Dilandau turned from the bushes and faced the king. He stood up and crossed his arms. "Well, well, well. So the king has finally decided to show himself."_

"_Cut the crap. I asked, what are you doing here?" he asked in the same voice._

"_My, someone's feeling crabby." Dilandau smiled wryly at Van. "How'd you know I was here?"_

"_I have my sources," Van answered vaguely. "Are you going to tell me or should I cut off your hands?"_

_Dilandau laughed softly. The Van he knew was back. "Who was the girl, Van?"_

"_No one you know," Van spat._

"_Hah. Are you saying that because you want to keep her away from me . . . or perhaps to protect her from me?"_

_Van's face hardened. "You still haven't answered my question, Dilandau."_

_Dilandau bent over a cluster of wild poppies. "I didn't know poppies were still blooming." He felt the tip of Van's sword at the nape of his neck._

"_Answer me."_

_Dilandau moved easily from the blade. "You're planning something, Van."_

_Van's raised arm dropped for a second. "What?"_

"_Don't pretend you don't know. I heard you and that girl discussing it."_

"_I don't know what you're talking about." He raised the sword again._

"_Your pretense is unusual, Van. You're planning to invade Vione."_

_Van gave a sharp laugh. "You're crazy."_

"_Am I?"_

_Van eye's hardened. "What the hell are you doing here?"_

_Dilandau pulled a poppy free from the dirt. "I was just checking to see how the king was doing. And I got more than that. You _are_ planning to invade Vione. I heard it loud and clear."_

"_Stop it, Dilandau. I already told you I don't know."_

_Dilandau drew his sword and swung it at the king who countered it with a swing from his own. "I _know_ what I heard."_

"_Well, you clearly heard wrong!" Van pushed Dilandau back and slashed him across the face._

_Dilandau touched his cheek with an unsteady hand. When he looked at his fingers they were bright with blood. He sent a look of hatred at Van. Never had he felt such anger. He wanted to rip the king's heart with his bare hands and throw it into the fire. He howled with rage and lunged at Van, who dodged._

_Van pointed his sword at him. "Get out."_

_Dilandau was now blind with rage and he hacked wildly at Van. Van evaded every attack and kicked Dilandau to the ground. He left him there. Dilandau continued lying on the ground way after Van had left. He didn't remember getting up and moving around but the next thing he knew he was laying beside a shrine._

It was there that he had met the girl. At first glance, Dilandau saw a tall boy but he soon found out later that he was actually a female. The same thing went for Dilandau himself. The girl had thought he was a girl but her mistake was corrected. He felt quite insulted by this.

Now he looked back at the girl and he prowled toward her. She didn't have the sense to wake up. He laughed silently with scorn. How sweet his revenge would be. The king would find out much too late to do anything.

* * *

**A/N:** Oooo yay! Reviews, reviews, reviews! Can't you tell how excited I am? Lol. Man, I feel an inspiration coming on. How'd you like this chapter? There's not much on VH. Well, anyway. Thank you all for taking the time to read and review! I read every single one of them and they are very much appreciated. There hasn't been much fluff I must admit. Lol. But who knows? That might change. Very soon in the near future.

School is starting! I might not be able to update as frequently but have no fear. I will up as soon as possible. Summers been great. I was going to make this fic a summer thing but I guess it's going to stretch on.

You know . . . now that I look back on it, the beginning of chapter 1 is freaking corny. Lol. I cringe from the corniness when I read it. It makes me laugh with scorn. Hahah. I must repost it one day . . . maybe when I'm done with the fic. Thank you again everyone. Such dedication! (extreme tears).

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	10. Languid Asphyxiation

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Escaflowne or its characters. Escaflowne is the property of Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment. I'm just an innocent person who happened to write a fanfic on Escaflowne.

A/N: So, what did you think of chapter 8? Dirty eh? Hahah Well, brace yourself for this chapter. There will be unexpected actions! (Not lemon related if that's what you're thinking, you naughty kids. Lol.)

* * *

**Chapter 10**

**Languid Asphyxiation**

* * *

A month—was it really a month? Or perhaps it was actually half a year. How long had it been? He couldn't tell. The days had stretched by listlessly and, even with all of Van and Allen's efforts into the search, Hitomi and Eni were still missing. There were too many tracks in the dirt leading in different directions. It would take months to follow the trails and who knew which one was the right one? For all they knew, there could've been more than one horse going different ways to throw them off. Van didn't sleep or eat as much as Merle tried to force upon him but it couldn't be helped. It was natural to worry . . . wasn't it?

Sometimes he found it so hard not to think of Hitomi, which was usually when he was asleep but even then he found himself looking for her in his dreams. Either it was his imagination or not, he even thought he caught the sweet fresh scent of her hair or her soft rose fragrant once in a while. But he would rather die than let any one know, especially Merle. She would assume that he was in love with Hitomi. Which, by the way, he absolutely was _not_. He only missed her presence. Yes that was it. He just missed her company.

Van kept himself busy by attending meetings with the Council of Advisors, though he normally dreaded going to the meetings. He almost gave himself a pat on the back after a week of lifeless meetings had gone by. Mostly, all that was discussed was gathering reinforcements for Fanelia's army. They clearly saw that Hitomi and Eni's kidnapping was a direct assault against the country. Van half agreed with them and the other half was the side that worried an awful lot about Hitomi's safety. He did worry about Eni too, but just not as often.

Van had seen to it that Merle receive the adequate training she obviously, and desperately, needed. The poor guard assigned under her care had a mild infection the day after she had treated him. However, he willingly let her tend to his wounds again because he was hopeful she would be able to cure the infection, which she did after attending a five hour long seminar that Van approved of. She had the notion of wrenching his limbs apart but she forgave him after seeing what her newly acquired knowledge had accomplished. Now she only had to attend lessons every other day for an hour.

He heaved a sigh and rested his chin on the palm of his hand. The Head Advisor frowned at him, but Van didn't care. What was his name anyway? Did anyone even know? "You know what? I think the meetings should be postponed for another day."

"W-what?" the Head Advisor stammered, his eyes wide with shocked. "But these meetings are absolutely necessary! If anything, they are extremely vital to our kingdom."

"It will be postponed. Meeting adjourned." Van got up from his throne and went up to bedroom. Once again, Hitomi's image had invaded his mind. He could see her as if she was standing right in front of him, and that was a lot to say. He found Merle sitting suspiciously on his bed with her hands folded on her lap, which was very peculiar of her. He had known her as the kind of person who slouched and sat like a gorilla at times. Very unlady like. "Hey you."

"What are you doing, Van?" she said impeaching.

"What am I doing? I'm standing."

Merle gestured with her hands at him. "This. You're rotting away like a useless log that someone flung in the lake."

He grinned. "Well, thanks for observing so keenly."

"It's not funny, Van. I'm worried. I think you . . ."

Van hoped she would not say what he though she was going to say.

"I think the meetings are wearing you down. I demand that you take me along! At least I'll give them something intelligent to talk about. They're so old . . . how do they live?"

"Merle!" He looked at her incredulously, but relieved at the same time. "The Council has been here for as long as I can remember. They have vast range of knowledge. Besides . . . my father trusted them."

She looked sidelong at him. "And how do you know that?"

"Balgus told me. I wonder how my father ruled his people. I hope I'm following in his footsteps." He sank into the comforts of his bed.

"Still no news of Hitomi or Eni?"

"No."

"It's strange how no one was there when it happened."

"Yes, I know."

Merle towered over him, her arms on her hips. "You should get out sometime. Your tan is such a hideous color."

He laughed under the pillow and tossed it at her. "Always so thoughtful."

She rolled her eyes but a smile crept to her lips. "Go ride out into the forest. The golden stallion is getting restless. He deserves a stretch. The stable boy's been complaining about him."

"I suppose you'll enjoy the luxury of bossing people around while I'm gone?"

"Of course not. Why would I want to do that?" She added, "They need a little push here and there once in a while."

His grin returned. "Of course."

"Be careful."

He nodded. He mounted his horse and rode off in an empty direction, void of thought or control. He let the golden steed choose its own path. It took him along a lengthy river, picking its way along the bank. Van looked out into the trickling stream. It appeared as if no life was under the clear blue water. His thoughts traced back to the little fight between him and Dilandau. It surprised him how Dilandau became so worked up about the graze on his cheek. The pale boy had been careless and seemingly had let his guard down momentarily. Something had been bothering him.

And what was that about attacking Vione? That idea had never entered Van's mind, much less desired. He had no intention of doing that. He would leave Folken alone so as Folken did the same thing. But if Folken had a part in the kidnapping . . .

Van shook his head. Folken was too intelligent for something like that. He would not stoop so low as to resort to kidnapping. But still . . . it was possible. Van was indeed unaware of Folken's motives, what ever they happened to be but Folken was a dignified sort of man. He liked things nice and neat. Hell, even his hair looked nice and neat.

Van looked out into the river again and saw a distant figure treading in the water. As he neared he saw that the figure was fairly tall and lean and had short messy chestnut hair. The figure had a light, teasing manner of walking Van distinctly recognized. For a fleeting moment Van's pulse picked up, pulsating hard. He knew it was impossible but his hopes rose anyway, despite the chained grasp he had on it. He swallowed hard. The figure did not seem to notice that Van was approaching closer.

"Hitomi . . . ?" he whispered hoarsely.

Before he knew it, the figure was gone. Where did she go? Van sucked in his breath, his heart to stone. It had just been a goddamn mirage. He mentally kicked himself for letting himself think it had actually been her. When had he ever hallucinated? When did he ever want her so much? What was he thinking? He only loved her as a companion. He asserted this over and over in his brain.

He looked out again, just to make sure, and gave his horse a gentle kick in the side. A mild wind blew past him, unsettling the mass of raven black hair on his head. His eyes scanned the river once again. His breath caught in his throat. There she was again treading in the water just like before. He urged his horse to gallop faster. The figure moved down the river and disappeared around the corner. When Van reached the bend, the figure was sitting on a smooth flat rock in the stream.

His eyes widened as he caught a clear glimpse of the face. His eyes confirmed that it was indeed her but his mind refused to believe. She had Hitomi's face and body but something was different. He couldn't put a finger on what. She was smiling serenely at him but there was an unfamiliar quirk there. Her outfit was certainly thought provoking, however. The gown had an elegant yet dangerous cleavage lookout zone which he politely tried to avoid at all costs. It was black leather corseted at the waist. The bottom half of the red wine gown was soaked in the water.

Van dismounted from the golden stallion and waded into the river. He tripped several times in his haste and when he was finally close enough to touch her, he just stood there watching her tentatively. Her eyes moved up and down his body, her smile widening. She seemed to be waiting for him.

He crouched before her and cupped his hands around her face. "Is it really you, Hitomi?"

She nodded and laughed softly. "I'm here in person, aren't I?"

He joined her and kissed her forehead soundly. "Thank the gods."

"You missed me, eh?"

"Yea. I did."

She smiled again.

"Did he . . . he didn't hurt you, did he?" Van asked hesitantly.

"No."

"You've been lodging somewhere?"

"Yes. I've been staying with an elderly couple for nearly a week."

"I see. Will you take me to them? I'd like to thank them for their hospitality."

She furiously shook her head. "You-you can't. They made me promise not to reveal their location. They don't want people invading their privacy. They only took me in because I accidentally came upon their cabin."

He eyed her warily. "But won't they wonder where you've gone when you return to the castle?

Again she shook her head. "They said I could come and go as I please."

"Oh. What about your belongings? They're at the cabin, no?"

Hitomi smoothed her hands over the dress. "This is all I had with me when I escaped."

Van thought she seemed quite reluctant to take him to the old couple's cabin so he changed the subject. "So how'd you escape?"

A look passed over her and she said in a low, quiet voice. "I'd rather not talk about it."

He studied her. There were no signs abuse shown on her body and she seemed healthy enough. Maybe it was too much right now. After all, knowing Dilandau, he had probably hurt her where the bruises wouldn't show. "It's fine. You can tell me when you're ready."

Hitomi smiled gratefully at him. Van thought she seemed to have mellowed out from the traumatic experience. Perhaps her buff, and sometimes hurtful, vigor would return after a few days. The sun was starting to set. He whistled to his horse and he rode home with Hitomi sitting in front of him. He thought she smelled different too but it was probably because he hadn't been around her for such a long time.

Merle practically bowled Hitomi over as she ran to embrace Hitomi in a crushing bear hug. However, Merle's reaction to Hitomi was much different from Van's. She unexpectedly dropped her hands and her expression was masked with evident mirth and mixed confusion. Van couldn't tell which she was feeling. Merle approached him after exchanging greetings with Hitomi and small talk to the townsfolk.

"Van," she began in a lowered voice. "There's something different about her."

He nodded. "I noticed but after something like that it is bound to change you."

Merle shook her head impatiently. "That's not what I meant. I mean there is _something_ clearly unusual about her. I felt it."

"And you're certain of this?"

"Yes!"

Van frowned. "She seems fine to me. Look, we'll just wait and see if she's on our side."

Merle flashed him a look of annoyance and stalked off into the crowd of people swarming around Hitomi near the palace gates. Van beckoned to Hitomi and led her inside. Merle was no where to be seen. He decided to deal with her later. Right now the only thing on his mind was Hitomi. She stood in the lounge and stretched.

"It feels good to be back."

"Yes, I'm sure it is. Why don't you get some rest? You're room is still there."

She nodded and walked up the stairs as Van watched her. She stopped and turned around. "Will you . . . will you sleep with me tonight? I'm afraid to sleep alone."

Van almost blushed, which was something almost new to him. She had asked him so easily. He would have most likely fainted dead away if he had to ask her that. He raised his hand to his forehead. "Sure, if you want."

She smiled at him and continued her way upstairs. Van followed nervously after her. What the hell was this? He was _nervous?_ He was on the verge of laughing aloud. He couldn't remember a time when he had been nervous. When he entered the room, Hitomi was changing into pajamas. Embarrassed, Van immediately turned around and waited for her to finish. After waiting longer than necessary, just to be on the safe side, he went into the bathroom to change out of his clothes and slip on night pants. He searched in the cupboards for a shirt but couldn't find any. He didn't want her to think he meant anything by sleeping shirtless.

When Van finally exited the bathroom, he found Hitomi lying on the bed. He carefully climbed on the bed and lay as far away from her as possible. He didn't want her to assume he was some horny bastard. After a while, she shifted and placed a hand on his chest. He stiffened. He wasn't sure she was awake or not.

"Guess what, Van?" she whispered.

"What?"

"Did you know I've thought about you every day I was on Vione? Being there made me realize that I had feelings for you. And I think I love you."

Van felt a strange tugging at his heart. He faced her. He knew she was going to say that and surprisingly, he was overjoyed to hear it coming from her. He brushed back a lock of her hair. "I think I love you too."

She smiled sweetly at him. She hovered over him for a second and slowly brought her lips down on his. He had also anticipated this and he kissed her back hungrily. She tasted sweet like honey. His mind wandered to Eni. Eni's favorite delectable was honey. Hitomi's body had somehow crawled on top of his and she was straddling his hips between her legs. Her fingers were clenched around his hair. Van's hands roamed under her shirt and held her tight. Hitomi slipped her tongue between his lips. A soft moan escaped her lips. Suddenly the door exploded open.

"Van!" Merle shrieked, positively aghast. "What are you guys _doing?_"

Van hastily pulled his hands out from under Hitomi's shirt and gently pushed her off of him. He caught her disappointed expression. "Merle, what is it?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to come in to check on Hitomi," she spat angrily. She was hurt. He could tell. She dashed out of the room. Van got up to follow her but Hitomi held him by the arm.

"Wait, Van. Stay with me."

"I'll come back." He ran after Merle and found her sitting on the steps outside the palace. He sat down beside her but she scooted away. He inched closer only to have her do the same thing again. "Merle."

She turned her head. "Go back to Hitomi."

He laughed ruefully and grabbed her around the shoulders to keep her from moving away from him. "I'm sorry, Merle. I didn't mean for it to happen."

"But it did."

"I know." He wrapped his arms around her and forced her to place her head on his shoulder but not without much struggling. "It just sort of happened. What can I do to make it up to you?"

Merle gave a defeated sigh, ignoring his question. "I still think there is something wrong about her."

"Well, I can tell you that she is much bolder than I had anticipated. She kissed me first." He grinned at her.

She playfully slapped him on the arm. "Gee, thanks for telling me. But I know something's wrong."

"I don't know. Maybe you're just imagining it."

"I'm serious!" Merle frowned.

"Let's just wait it out."

She merely nodded and got up, going back inside. Van returned to Hitomi's room and saw that she was asleep. He quietly slipped out and went to sleep in his own bedroom. For the next week, Hitomi insisted that he sleep with her and he did, but she didn't kiss him again. He began to notice strange habits from her. She was much more aware of her appearance. He had caught her looking in the mirror more than a few times. She had picked up the notion of eating daintily and frequently wiping her mouth after a few bites. She also wore long dresses of dark colors. He didn't let it bother him too much though.

Merle, on the other, seemed to be on the prowl every second. She noticed everything Hitomi did and seemed to be making mental notes to herself. Other than those mentioned above, there was nothing unusual about Hitomi. Merle seemed to have realized that and gradually dropped her guard.

Van was seated in his chair when a servant interrupted him. "Lord Van, Balgus has requested it of you to come down and greet him."

He stood up. "He's back?"

The servant nodded. "Yes, my liege."

"Thank you. You may go." Van hurriedly threw a cloak over his shoulder and ran down the stairs in an undignified way. He entered the hall and found the big man grinning with the rest of the men. "Balgus, you're home."

"Quite right, my dear boy." Balgus stood up and gave Van a warm hug. He grinned again. "You've gotten taller."

"It has been a while. Where have you gone all this time?"

"Oh here and there. Look, I've brought back some rare silks and better military equipment. I also acquired much knowledge, of which I would like to discuss privately with you. It concerns Hitomi. By the way, I heard that she was kidnapped and Eni too."

Van nodded. "Yes, they were. Hitomi made it back safely but she hasn't told me how. I believe she is out with Merle. Shall I have someone bring her home?"

"No, there's no need for that. I'll wait until she returns. Meanwhile, tell me about that wall! It looks as if a murderous lightning bolt struck it. Is everyone all right?"

"Yes, Balgus. We have reason to think that the Zaibach forces may have something to do with it. We aren't sure. There was no evidence around the site. Balgus, Eni is still missing. We've been searching for some time now. If I knew the location of Vione..."

"But you don't," Balgus finished for him. "I suggest we apply my newly obtained knowledge to Fanelia's armed forces in case of sudden danger. How is our dear Allen faring?"

Van shrugged. "He's the same. Not much news about him. But he did say he found scorch marks about a mile away from the blown wall. I'm not sure how that ties in with everything."

Balgus was already turning to the door. "Shall we investigate?"

* * *

Darkness cloaked her mind like a heavy black cloud. She knew her eyes were opened but it was pitch black every where she looked. She couldn't see her body. She couldn't feel it either. Her hands where restrained somehow. She couldn't move. Her legs couldn't move. She breathed in deep gulps of air but no matter how hard, she was suffocating. Where was she? Was she trapped in her mind?

She shut her eyes and knew she had been walking in a river. She did not remember actually going into the river . . . she just knew she had. She saw herself kissing Van but she didn't remember that either. She didn't remember how it had felt . . . but she just knew it had happened. She saw glimpses of herself several times, each time a hazy blur. When had she done all those things?

It was then that a chilling fear gripped her. It spread from her chest, extending spidery arms to trample over her soul. Someone must have taken over her body and invaded her mind. But that was impossible . . . wasn't it? No one had that kind of knowledge or technology to pull such a delicate procedure. Who was the other soul inhabiting her body? If she could cry in this lonely, light forsaken pit her tears would have flown until she drowned in it.

_Someone save me._

* * *

Balgus spent an eternity happily staring at one patch of scorched grass. Van sat under the shade of a large oak tree. His thoughts drifted to Hitomi again. For some reason, he hadn't been as lustful for her as he thought he'd be. She didn't seem to want to come on to him anymore after that night. Maybe she was afraid to upset Merle again. Yes, that had to be it. She didn't even seem to be around him as much as she used to. She didn't even seem concerned about him or Merle. He shook his head. He was being too hard on her. She was still recovering.

"Van, take a careful look at this and tell me what you see."

Van bent over the same spot Balgus had been eyeing for the last ten minutes. "They are burn marks?"

"No, Van. Look closely at it." He pointed to the shape the burned grass made.

He raised an annoyed eyebrow. "It looks like a giant bean."

"Yes! That's what came to my mind too."

". . . and that would be vital because?"

"Someone, or rather something, was definitely here."

"Obviously. Okay, Balgus, what's your point?" Van slouched against the tree again.

"These prints were made by Guymelefs and not just any, but by Zaibach Alseides. I've seen enough to recognize them any where," he said grimly.

Van straightened up. "Can you make certain of that? After all, I don't want to make assumptions and have a whole army of Zaibach fleets raging our country. As Allen once quoted, 'To provoke your enemy by sheer ignorance is a hazardous action.' Which I have interpreted as, 'Better safe than sorry.'"

He laughed a loud thundering sound. "Of course I'm right. But I advise we build up our defense now before we are too late. I'd rather have an army ready than lie like a bunch of dead logs."

"Makes sense to me, I guess. Balgus, I've been meaning to ask . . ."

"Ask me what, boy?"

"Hey, watch who you're addressing, old man."

They laughed. Balgus sobered up and said, "Well, what is it?"

Van thought for a moment. "Can you observe Hitomi for me?"

"Yes, I can but why? You trust her, I presume?"

"Yea . . . but lately, I've noticed . . . things about her I've never noticed before."

Balgus looked a little concerned. "Well, sometimes that happens. She has been gone a long time, no?"

"Yes, but so have you. You seem the same to me though."

"Hah! Don't make me laugh, boy. I've only been back for an hour or so. You expect to notice strange conducts of mine so soon? Just wait a couple of days. You're bound to see the difference."

"I hope so," Van said softly.

* * *

Dilandau sat on top of a roofed bungalow under the shade of a hovering Floating Fortress. A smile curled on his lips. _Good girl, you made it. _Folken's ingenious scheme had proved its worth once again. The damned Madoushi men would have something to ponder for a while now. He wouldn't be the center of attention anymore. _Poor little Hitomi._ He almost—_almost_—felt sorry for her. He tried to imagine what she would be thinking right now and nearly laughed. His thoughts would never match her newly experienced relinquishing fear.

He was fairly used to the fear by now but once in a while his fear would flood fresh and searing. He could not understand why Reinse despised his albino skin so much. Sure it was sensitive to the sun's UV rays but what was so horrible about that besides sun burning easily? He could deal with that. He just couldn't deal with the constant experimental procedures. He was injected with unearthly fluids only to lie motionless and on the verge of death. His skin nearly melted off his body from untested acids. Some genius thought that would change the texture of his skin. It took him a long time to recover from the severe burns, and thanks to Folken's blend of rare herbs ointment his skin miraculously healed without any trace of scars. It was as if the goddess of beauty was on his side. He scoffed. As if he believed in her.

_Well, Hitomi . . . do you like where you are right now? Do you enjoy the feeling? I have felt it for so long . . . I think it has become a part of me._

He had only looked in on Hitomi once the whole interval of three months. He felt an extreme pity for her. The blood transfusions had taken a lot out of her, instigating a second nature in which she slept to and fro from the fragile balance of life. He had felt a stir of anger as he watched the Madoushi perform the procedure but he didn't want to risk his own very much violated soul. Perhaps, under better circumstance, even he, Dilandau Albatou, the unabiding, often cruel soldier of perfection . . . yes, even he might have saved her.

* * *

**A/N:** This here marks the end of chapter 9. How'd you like it? Don't you feel sorry for her? Give me your opinion when you review! This chapter took a while . . . at least to me it did. Well, I'm getting my own computer soon, at least I hope I am, and I'll be able to produce more and more chapters! Wheeeee, I'm getting so excited. My own computer at last!

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	11. Elysian Fields

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Escaflowne or its characters. Escaflowne is the property of Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment. I'm just an innocent person who happened to write a fanfic on Escaflowne.

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**Chapter 11**

**Elysian Fields**

**

* * *

**

"So, Van, are you busy today?" Hitomi asked him one morning.

He looked up from his breakfast. "I don't think so. Why?"

She leaned down across the table at him, in a way that seemingly provoked his senses by exposing a well defined cleavage. "I was thinking . . . maybe we could go on little picnic later or something."

For some reason, he felt a little distraught. "I suppose we could."

"Well, great. I heard Millerna was in town."

"Yea, she is. Go ask Merle. She's bound to know everything that happens here."

"Okay, bye, Van." She bent down and planted a soft, affectionate kiss on his forehead. It had taken him by surprise because he had known her to be an irrevocably unaffectionate person. She was likely to show her fondness by inflicting physical and sometimes verbal abuse.

He finished breakfast and went to look for Balgus. He found him by the prime area where he had found the Alseides footprint. Van was growing tired of looking at it so many times. Seven days in all. "Once isn't enough?"

"No. I wonder what it was doing here, so far away from the crumbled wall. I assumed someone was standing right here, far enough not to be detected, but somehow managing to destroy the wall at such a range. Allen filled me in the other day. He said there was no evidence around the site, but here is the only evidence. So the only one who could have done this was sent by Zaibach forces. It must've taken some extensive innovations to have done such damage."

"Folken," Van began slowly. "He's the one who liked to invent things. He's a genius in the study of science. He could've invented a new type of weapon to use against us. Something we've never seen or heard of."

"Yes, I see where you're going." Balgus gathered his things, gesturing for them to return to the palace. "Let's have a round, you and me. For old time's sake."

Van nodded, smiling. "I hope you're skills haven't rusted over that long journey."

"Of course they haven't, boy. I've got all the skills I need to defeat you."

Van laughed. "You're rather confident, Balgus."

"It came with a price," he laughed.

"A price?"

"Yes. You see that in front of me?" He pointed to Van.

"Me? I was the price? What kind of a price is that? I'm a valuable piece of work."

Balgus bellowed a laugh. "If you call that valuable."

"Whatever. Are you done? I'd like to get going now."

"Hold on a minute. We've only been hear for a while. I want to see if I can gather more information."

Van yawned and began chipping away at the bark of a tree. "I believe Allen has already done that."

"I see how this interests you," he said dryly.

"I truly am! It's just . . . we've been to this damn area over 20 times the past week. My eyes are telling me they'll run away if I see it one more time."

"Well, I promise you this will be the last time if you help me. What kind of a king are you anyway? Standing like a fool while I work my wrinkly butt off?"

Van laughed and bent down next to Balgus. "You aren't that old."

"Yea, but since you left me to do this all on my own I feel as if I've aged 30 years. I want you to examine every detail of this but be careful not to disturb it. I don't want to come back having it changed."

"Where are you going?" Van asked as he kept his eyes on the imprint.

"Somewhere you would not like." And Balgus was gone before Van uttered another word. He stared disdainfully at the Alseides footprint. After some 15 minutes, he returned to the palace. Hitomi was already waiting for him.

"Hey," she greeted with a smile. She had changed into a long midnight blue dress.

"It's a little hot to be wearing such a dark color, isn't it?"

"No. It's fine. Here, Millerna wanted to give this to you." She handed him a new red wine shirt. It looked suspiciously like the one he was wearing.

"It looks the same," he muttered as he compared it with his own.

Hitomi laughed a high musical note. "Of course it is."

"What?"

"Millerna thought the old one was getting too torn up so she made you another one . . . since you seemed to wear it so often."

Merle emerged from the corner. "What about his pants? It looks like it'll surely split down the crack if he bends over again."

Van laughed. "They're completely fine."

"For a king?" she asked doubtfully.

"They're comfortable."

"Now, that Merle mentioned it . . . it does look like it might rip," Hitomi put in thoughtfully.

"Not you, too." He groaned. They seemed to enjoy the notion of attacking him any chance they had.

She pursed her lips in contemplation. "We could make him another pair, exactly the same."

"How?" Merle interjected. "He never takes it off."

"I have my ways." She smiled sweetly at him and Merle. "Well, let's get going. You don't want to waste any more precious minutes."

"Have fun," prompted Merle. Van thought she seemed a little distracted.

Hitomi picked up the basket of food (Van had no idea what she made) and looped her arm around his. The smell of her hair drifted to his nose. It smelled like honey cider. Her hair definitely smelled different. He did not remember anything remotely close to that scent. He shrugged the thought away as they made their way down the path winding towards the familiar Fanelian river of Dyese. They stopped just short of the bank, under a cool mossy area sheltered by the thick leaves of maples and oaks.

Hitomi gingerly sat down by the corner of the thin quilt and Van joined her. For a moment, she stared contently at his face before shaking herself out of her reverie and smiling serenely at him. She scooted closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder. "What are you thinking, Van?"

"Nothing."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

Hitomi turned her head towards his neck. "You smell so good. I don't think I'll ever tire of smelling you."

Van laughed. "You just wait until I start sweating."

She didn't answer but began sucking his neck. He felt the flicker of her tongue against the sensitive skin of his neck. He felt an army of goose bumps march over his arms and run down his back. His pulse proliferated with increasing momentum. Warm wet lips captured his in a sensational, mind racing urgency, biting his bottom lip. Hands roamed through his hair and fingers clenched around the tufts. He didn't know it but he was pressed hard against her, so hard he thought he was going to burst. They were panting now but they couldn't stop. He knew he had to stop before . . . before it was too late but he couldn't. It felt _good._ Hitomi's hands fumbled with his shirt and it was half way off before he fought off the desire to do her. It took the kind of strength he thought he did not have, leaving him physically and mentally weak.

"We've got to stop, Hitomi."

She bit her lip mischievously and leaned against him. "I know."

He smiled. "Good."

"Are you hungry yet?"

He shook his head. "Maybe in a few minutes."

"Well, have a snack or something."

He took the black cherries from her and popped one into his mouth. "I've been meaning to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"What made you change?"

"Change?"

"You seem different, Hitomi."

She looked at him with wide, innocent eyes. "I haven't changed . . . I think, it is you who have."

That statement certainly startled him. Was he, in fact, the one that really changed? Perhaps the change had been so gradual he hadn't noticed at all. But if he did, wouldn't Merle have noticed as well? Or maybe she changed too? What was he thinking? His mind was a buzzing jumble of unanswerable questions. He had been so certain before . . . was this a change? What was different about him? Hitomi placed a cool, soft hand against his cheek, temporarily erasing the muddle.

"I've always liked to look at your face. It has a very pleasant shape," she whispered.

He looked down at her. Her face gave off a soft glow and suddenly her appearance flickered behind his eyes. He blinked rapidly to prevent the black cloud from consuming him. Hitomi's face slowly faded from his sight and he plummeted into the depths of his subconscious.

* * *

In the total darkness a blinding light, shining like a beacon of salvation, penetrated the pupils in her eyes. Within seconds it faded away. What was it? Her eyes were wide open now but it was only due to impulse. There was no point in looking. It was pitch black. Try as she might she would never see.

"My greetings to you, Hitomi."

Who had said that? Was more than one soul inhabiting her body? A wave of renewed despair cascaded over her. "Are you trapped too?"

"Trapped? Yes, if that is what you call it."

"How long have I been here? Do you know?"

"Quite a while."

She fell silent. She had no idea how long she had been there. She was unaware of the passage She was unaffected by the transition of morning to night or night to morning because she was asleep most of the time. Her spiritual body tired easily even all she did was nothing. "Do you know what has happened to me?"

"I'm sorry. I cannot tell."

"Oh." She added quietly, more to herself, "It's dark in here."

"I know."

She sighed. "And lonely."

"I know. I must go now."

"Will you come back?" she asked hopefully. She didn't know if she could abide this sort of isolation much longer.

"We'll see."

"Wait!" She wasn't sure if he was still there. "Who are you?"

It was a while before he answered, "A friend."

Relief filled her like a once empty well. Now she had something to cling on to, if only for a fragment of time. Just to help her bear with the consuming darkness. She hadn't gotten anymore image flashbacks and that could have been ages ago. She couldn't understand why she couldn't see it all the time. Shouldn't she be able to if she was in her body's conscious somewhere? She wouldn't be able to control the physical movements of her body but surely she would be able to see. Damn it, why couldn't she see?

With a sudden depletion of energy, she slipped in and out of consciousness as easily as if she was bobbing in a pond of water. She did not know how much time had elapsed. A few minutes, hours, days . . . but when she was fully awake there was a presence with her in the subdued shadows.

"Who's there?" she croaked softly. It came as a surprise that she was able to speak at all. When no one answered she tried again, louder. "Who's there?"

She stared hard in the dark and felt, or rather saw, no movement. Just stagnant space. "Please . . . is it you? I am afraid."

"It's me," the familiar voice answered reassuringly.

She uttered a half choked cry. "You came back. How long has it been?"

"Three days."

"Already? How is it that you can enter and leave as you may? I can't. I don't have that freedom."

"My situation differs from yours, Hitomi."

"Will I be here forever?"

"No, perhaps not forever. Eventually even you must die, as all living things are meant to."

She blinked in alarm. "Die . . . ?"

"Your body will deteriorate sooner or later. It may not be able to withstand the conditions it is forced to endure where it is going."

"Please help me. Free me. I can't take it anymore. I feel I am losing myself." A lump rose to her throat.

She heard him sigh, almost angry. "Under changed circumstances I would, but you and I . . . we are not much different."

"How? You possess the freedom which I lack. I—"

"I have stayed too long."

She nodded absently even though she knew he couldn't see her. "You'll come back?"

"We'll see." Same as last time. He would not give her a definite answer, always vague and remote. She felt the blinding light burn her eyes and knew he was gone.

She looked drearily into the black gloom once again. His visits gave her a sense of hope that she could relish. She wasn't alone anymore, at least for the time being. She feared that he would never return again. She closed her eyes and when she opened them she saw a vision of herself and Van sitting by a large clear river. They were having lunch of familiar foods. Van was looking thoughtfully at her when he suddenly swayed and fell unconscious. The vision gave way to a cloud of haze.

"No!" she uttered loudly. "What I have done?"

The other soul was evil—her other half. That's who it was. The other soul completed the balance in nature. Where there was good there was evil and vice versa. The evil inside her must have been submerged long ago and now it was free to roam the earth, tainting the grounds it walked upon. And Van was its first victim and she herself was helpless against it. But she would not—could not allow any more victims to fall prey.

She squeezed her eyes shut, a bittersweet realization dawning on her. She was the only one who knew and the only one who could save them. But first she had to emerge from her current state. She didn't know how to force the evil soul to sink back from where it came from. The tasked seemed perpetually overwhelming and her heart soon sank lower than it had ever before. Her eyes burned but no tears formed.

"Mother Gaia, I beseech you . . . give me the strength and courage against this battle," she whispered in a broken voice. And as if a miracle had occurred, a single pearly droplet fell from her eye.

The last syllable she uttered died in the heavy silence, dragging at the air as if burdened by some weight. It felt an eternity ago that she had made her plea. Something caught her eye. A tiny twinkle of light shimmered and rose from her chest. She held her breath, afraid that the slightest waft would blow it out. She saw the fragile light emit from the pendant and her hopes ascended. She had often found much comfort just by touching the jewel. It lifted off her bare chest and floated in midair.

Had her prayer been answered? Hitomi gazed wide eyed as the glimmering pendant glowed a bright blinding white with a soft hue of rose in the center. _What's happening?_ It was all she could manage to think before she was sucked into a chasm of luminescence. Here she found the one person she desired and dreaded.

He was sleeping comfortably on a pale yellow blanket with his head tucked against his arm. Fearing he would disappear as suddenly as he had appeared, she hastily strode and bent over him. This came to her as a surprise. She had control over her own body again. She reached out a hand and tentatively pressed them against his face. It was warm. She could feel too. She knelt down and smelled his hair and discovered with delight that she could smell the fresh crisp scent. It felt strange to experience these sensations again.

Possibly disrupted by Hitomi's amused inquiries, he groggily opened his eyes and stifled a yawn. But he quickly overcame his sleepiness and sat up. "Hitomi!"

She backed away but still eyed him warmly.

"What are you doing here?" He looked around and finally registered the surroundings. "Where are we?"

"I'm not sure."

"I'm dreaming. . . I keep dreaming about you, even though I've found you already. I don't understand it but it is as if you've changed. I cannot put a finger on it . . . and it confuses me."

"I don't think this is a dream, Van," she said slowly.

He nodded slowly and then gave her a crooked smile. "You look better than I could ever imagine."

"Well, you're as ugly as ever."

He laughed heartily and resumed his lazy eyed smile. "I'm glad you think so. In here, in the dream realm, you're the person I remember but back in reality . . . I don't know what to think."

"Van, something's come up."

He looked up at her. "What is it?"

"There is evil near you but you might not realize it until it's too late and I—I don't know how to tell you."

"Tell me, Hitomi."

"Even if I did, I don't think you'll believe me."

He placed a hand on the side of her face. "I trust you."

Hitomi sighed heavily. "The Hitomi you found is not me. She's another part of me . . . an evil side of me."

"What?" he exclaimed, bewildered. "How is that possible? She has your likeness and stature. She—you—have done nothing evil. I've only noticed peculiar things about you I never noticed before but those are little things that aren't dangerous."

"Little things?"

"You know what I mean . . ."

She shook her head to Van's utter amazement.

"Strange . . . It's nothing to worry about. And . . ." He thought for a moment and then beckoned to her. "Come here. I just want to see something."

Hitomi sat down beside him and nearly fell over when he seized her head and sniffed it like a hungry dog. "What the heck are you doing?"

He continued sniffing for a few more unnecessary seconds. "It smells . . . different somehow."

Hitomi wrenched her head from his hands and gave him a look. "What are you talking about? It's always smelled the same."

"No. Your hair smelled sweet . . . sort of like honey but now it smells like—I can't describe it. It's the scent I smell when I'm standing in the great green ravines with the cool, gentle stream flowing in between. I can almost taste the sweet water in my mouth and . . . the aroma just lingers for days. I hope you know what I mean."

She gave a brief nod, but she really didn't know. "Van, you have to stay away from me."

Van shook his head and his eyes dropped to the ground. "I can't."

"You have to, Van . . ."

"Don't do this to me, Hitomi!"

"Do what? What am I doing?"

"You lead me on and then you push me away. What am I supposed to do?"

"_Lead you on?_ I already told you the Hitomi you think I am isn't me. Do you think I would _ever_ do that? I thought you knew me better," she said crossly.

Van opened his mouth as if to say something but then shut it and instead, he stared fixedly at her. Finally he said in a soft voice, "So even if you were the real Hitomi . . . you would never . . ."

She realized what he was trying to say and she didn't know how to answer. She had seen her other self kissing him . . . obviously that meant that he liked her, even if it was the other her. "I don't know, Van. Time will tell."

He leaned in close to her and whispered, "I'd rather not wait."

He kissed the tips of her fingers and continued his way up her arm to the milky nape of her neck. She felt her breath catch in her throat as he lingered a centimeter away from her mouth. She lifted her hand to touch his smooth face and gasped when she saw how transparent her skin had become. "Van, I'm disappearing."

"No," he uttered in a strained voice. "I've only just found you."

Hitomi gripped his arms frantically, a tear escaping from her eye. "I'll come back. I promise. Don't let her know you know."

"And Merle?"

"Tell her. It's okay." By now it was difficult to form words. She felt a strange weightlessness overcome her. Van bent his head to kiss her but she was already gone. He couldn't see her but she saw his despair at the chance lost.

Darkness. She was back in the one place she feared most. But now she felt a speck of hope make its way toward her heart. She had been able to reach him and let him know. But would he remember it all once he awoke?

* * *

**A/N:**Thank you for all the reviews! They're freaking awesome. Did you guys like this chappie? I hope it wasn't too dramatic. I sort of did the ending at the last minute.Tee hee hee. Well, write all your comments when you review! And I mean all lol. I like to know what I'm doing wrong or what I'm doing right as a writer! So feel free to express your opinions. Thanks again you guys!

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	12. Mirrored Disillusion

**Disclaimer: **Escaflowne is the property of Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment. I do not own Escaflowne or its characters. However, ladies and gentlemen, the plot has been generated from my own brain. (Don't you get tired of looking at it? I did. Hahah that's why I changed it.)

A/N: Thank you for reviewing! I hope I didn't confuse you guys too much . . . (feeling guilty). Well, this chappie and the next should clear things up a bit and if it doesn't then I'm a very very bad author. Anyhow, read to your heart's delight! Au revoir!

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**Chapter 12**

**Mirrored Disillusion**

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"No . . ." His eyes snapped open and he blindly groped for Hitomi's hand, which met his. But it wasn't her hand. It didn't hold his with the firm strength he felt in his dream. This grip was gentle and furtive, much too feminine for the Hitomi he knew. He didn't show it but he knew he felt dismayed.

She was now bent over him with a worried furrow upon her brows. "What's wrong, Van?"

"I had the strangest dream, Hitomi. You—you—" He couldn't remember what he was going to say. He remembered a dream but it was gone from his mind. By now dusk was setting in. He had not realized he had been asleep for that long. How had he fallen like that? He wondered what Hitomi had done the whole time. The food had been cleared away but that was all. He could taste a sweet tangy flavor lingering in the back of his mouth. Somewhere in there was a tiny speck of an extremely bitter aftertaste. What had he been eating? Recently he had been noticing that bitterness in his mouth. For some peculiar reason, he never seemed to remember.

"I what?"

He rubbed his face as he sat up. "It's nothing. It's a little fuzzy but I'm sure it was nothing."

Hitomi lent him a hand and pulled him to his feet. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Van nodded. "How long was I asleep?"

"Just a couple of hours."

"And you just sat there and waited for me to wake up?"

She nodded sheepishly, but a look passed her eyes. "I didn't want to wake you up."

"What the hell for? I wouldn't have minded. Well, it's getting late."

"Yea."

Van scooped up the ends of the quilt and tied them together. Then they returned to the palace, hand in hand. A few times, Van had the feeling that they were being watched but whenever he turned around he didn't see anyone. When they reached the door a soft high hum whistled through the air. Hitomi let out a painful cry and grasped her arm. Van examined her shoulder. A long thin needle protruded from it. Despite the gentle precautions he took easing the needle out, Hitomi whimpered with pain throughout the whole process. Gripped with impatience, he shook her gently but firmly. "Come on, you're stronger than this. Whimpering isn't going to help."

When he finally extracted the needle, he examined it and immediately recognized it. It was long and thin and the ends were clover shaped. Though it was small it always left a distinct cloven scar on its victim. He gazed hard into the thicket. There was only one person who used this sort of weapon. Someone with pink hair and feline ears. He would deal with her later. Van turned back to Hitomi and led her by the arm. "Come on, let's get you inside and get someone to treat it. I doubt Merle's home."

"It's bleeding so much for such a small wound."

"I know. Go inside. I'll be back in a while." He rounded the corner and made his way to the stable where he found the stable boy napping on a pile of fresh hay. Van laughed softly to himself. The poor boy liked the hay better than the bed Van had given him. Van bent down and tapped the boy's shoulder. "Wake up, Thades."

Thades groaned in protest. "Come back later. Can't you see I'm sleeping?"

"Wake up or I'll have my men tie you to your bed."

Thades eyes opened wide and he quickly rose from the hay. "I'm sorry, Lord Van. I wasn't aware that that was you. I'm sorry."

"It's alright. I just need you to ready Zeus and Ayla. Be done when I'm back."

"Yes, sir."

Van nodded and went into the stable, entering the palace from a hidden trap door. He hurriedly scribbled on a small parchment. If his intuitions were correct, this would be proof enough for him to believe. He scaled the walls with his back pressed against it. When he edged near the medical room (Merle had persuaded Van to give her one) he caught the voices of Merle speaking animatedly and Hitomi speaking just as excitedly. He frowned. Merle was home. She was fast. Van had been out in the stable for less than a minute and yet Merle was able to make it inside faster than he did. And she had been further away too. But then again, hybrid cat breeds still retained the speed and agility of a pure breed feline. He heard an 'ow!' and assumed it came from Hitomi.

"Oh come on, Hitomi. It's just a tiny little cut," Merle said exaggeratingly.

"I know but it still hurt."

"Well, if it didn't hurt then you're in deep shit."

"Merle!"

"What?"

"You've got such a vulgar set of vocabulary."

"So? You never seemed to care before."

"Well, that was before."

Van heard Merle make a 'tch.' "I only said shit. It's not like I said f—"

"I don't want to hear it!"

"Sheesh. I wasn't going to actually say f—"

"Stop. Who taught you to curse so much, anyway?"

"Van."

"What? I've never heard him say shit—(gasp) oh dear . . .

Merle burst out laughing. "Feels good doesn't it?"

The corners of Van's mouth curled into a smile. Merle had always been a troublemaker. Van heard a shuffling and feet landing on the floor. "No, it doesn't. If anything, I feel dirty."

"You're weird. How the hell do you feel dirty from saying shit? It's the same thing as crap or poop."

"Agh! You're filling my head with dirty words! I'm leaving now."

Van heard her footsteps falling and it sounded as if she was going out of the room. He hastily shoved the parchment through a secret hole in the wall and retraced his steps until he was out in the stable again. Only he and Merle knew about it. Zeus was saddled up and waiting patiently by the steady hand of Thades, who looked like he was about to tumble over with sleep. Van gently eased the harness from the boy's hand, which instinctively tightened around the leather rope. Thades jerked upright and, realizing that Van was there, shamefacedly handed the harness over to him.

As he mounted the golden stallion, Van passed a golden coin into the boy's hands. "You should get more sleep, Thades. What's been keeping you up?"

Thades blushed heavily under the pale moonlight and stammered, "I—I just can't sleep sometimes."

"Would you prefer a room inside? With hay instead of a bed?" Van said laughingly.

The boy shook his head. "It's not that, milord."

Van raised an eyebrow. "Well then, what is it?"

Thades shifted under Van's gaze and stared fixedly at Zeus's glossy mane. "I, er, there is someone I know . . . she . . ."

"_She_, eh? Let me guess. Does it have something to do with the ever present 'love'?"

He nodded slowly. "But I don't know if she's aware of it . . . she hasn't exactly been around much."

"Would it ease your mind a little if I lend a hand?"

Thades looked up at him, eyes bright with hope but then he quickly looked away. "I can't ask you to do that. It's beneath the dignity of a king."

Van laughed ruefully. "If you must know, I don't take things of this sort too lightly. Even if I am king, I'm no different from you or anyone else. So give me her name and I'll do what I can."

"Her name's Eni."

* * *

He could not believe his ears.

He could **_not_** believe his ears.

He stared intently at the reflection in the smooth silver rimmed mirror. A ghostly pale figure stared back at him with the same fiery expression. Ruby red eyes glinted and flashed every now and then. He gazed disdainfully at the scabbing gash that marred his white marble skin. Folken had told him that the scar would not heal and fade, not even with the herbal ointments. Why the hell not? What made this wound different from the others? It aggravated him beyond all measures. It glowed a dull, coarse red against his pale skin, evidently standing out more than it should. His fingers twitched to rip it out of his image, but it would not do. Sadly, it would only make it bigger and perhaps more hideous than it already was.

"Seven years I have been tortured, but never was there a scar to remind me. Why, Van, have you left your mark?"

Van . . . the arrogant Fanelian king whose windswept raven hair and red shirt was his infamous trademark. The muscles in Dilandau's face twitched. How he despised that boy. His dislike only deepened with the slash on his face, forever reminding him of what Van had done. A fleeting image of Escaflowne crossed his mind. He scowled and turned away from the mirror. His eyes landed on a leather uniform stashed in the corner of his room. He frowned. It was never there before . . .

"What the hell . . ." he muttered as he picked up the sage green garments. It was a female's uniform. It looked fairly new and stranger yet, it registered something in his brain, as if he had seen in donned on someone once a time ago. He assumed that the Dragonslayers had been messing around and had hid it there in their hurry to resume their posts. He sighed in irritation and tossed the clothes on to his bed. He would deal with them later when the time felt right. Flinging his rose red armor on the floor, he slumped into a large leathery chair. A soft pleasing scent expelled from it.

A loud knock sounded on the metal door, and it opened without his permission. _I thought I locked it._ A tall shadow of a man entered. It was only Folken. "What do you want?" Dilandau grumbled.

"I see that your scar is healing nicely."

"Don't remind me."

"It's not as horrid as you think. I suppose Reinse will be pleased."

"Are you even aware of what you're saying? That faggot is never pleased with anything. He'll just keep trying to genetically mutate my skin until he finally succeeds. His futile attempts could make a damned horse laugh."

Folken calmly crossed to Dilandau's window and stood with his back to it. "I know what you have been doing, Dilandau."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm quite certain you do."

"And I am quite certain that I don't," Dilandau said more sharply.

"Don't lose your temper with me. I would rather discuss matters with you when you're thinking clearly. What moves you to do it?"

Dilandau stubbornly avoided Folken's steady gaze. "Why do you care so much?"

"Because," he began and then stopped. "I think you know."

"You haven't heard what I have. You haven't felt what I have. I will stop at nothing to prevent them from following through."

"You forget, Dilandau, that I know too. Why do you think you're still standing here, hmm?"

"I don't see you doing shit to stop it. Did you forget that you have power over the Madoushi? Or did that just suddenly slip your mind?"

"I may have some control over them, but the Emperor has need of them. They were given specific orders from him. In that affair, I cannot interfere," Folken said slowly. "I won't prevent you from continuing your visits but I will not be responsible if the Madoushi catch you."

"Has it been that obvious?"

Folken laughed softly. "No, I've seen your shadow crossing too often not to notice. Other than that, you've been twice as stealthy as you've ever been. Something you picked up?"

Dilandau shrugged and relaxed against the chair. "It just comes naturally."

Folken spotted the uniform on Dilandau's bed and raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know you were interested in that sort of thing."

"I'm not! I just found it there."

"It looks familiar . . ."

Dilandau stood up. "That's what I thought."

Folken picked up the clothes and, for a second, a look passed over his face, but then resumed his normal, calm faced stature. "What is it doing here?"

"I don't know. Like I said, I _found_ it there. I'm sure some of my boys have been playing around with it and stuffed it into my room. Speaking of that, I need to distribute their punishment."

"It was not them."

"What? What the heck are you talking about?"

"The Dragonslayers have nothing to do with this. I think I have an idea how the uniform got there . . . but I'm not sure who put it there. I need to think." Folken took the garments and left, gently closing the door behind him.

Dilandau felt disappointed. Now he had no reason to punish his boys. He sighed and decided that a visit to Hitomi's quarters would calm him down. He left the room and crept stealthily along the shadows of the walls until he reached a long corridor completely sealed off from the rest of the buildings. It was a dark place void of light, but inside the rooms the darkness weighed on a human being like a chain dragging down a swimmer. No light ever entered the rooms. It was a sick way of torture. He slowly approached Hitomi's door, looking around him to see if any of the Madoushi sorcerers were about. He was alone. It was safe to enter.

He opened the door a tiny crack and saw her face scrunch up at the penetrating brightness. Slipping through the crack, he gently closed the door and stood before her. He couldn't exactly see her but he had a general idea as to where she was.

"Hello," Hitomi said quietly. "I'm glad you came back."

"Hey. Did someone come in earlier?"

There was a pause. "I thought it was you."

He frowned. Folken had indeed conversed with her. "It's fine. You couldn't see."

"How do people enter my mind so easily?"

_Mind?_ Dilandau stared intently at the space where he assumed she was. "Would you care to clarify?"

"It'll take a long time . . ."

"Don't worry. I have time."

"It's going to sound strange at first. Well . . . I don't know how to start . . ."

"Take your time." _Why in the name of all things am I being so nice? Is this my conscience? Hell no, I don't have one . . . _He found it highly disturbing.

He heard her sigh before she began talking in a low, dejected voice. ". . . someone's taken over my body . . . and I'm trapped somewhere in my subconscious. How you and the other person managed to come in I don't know. I don't even know how this happened. All I remember is waking up in this black abyss. I have no movement over my body . . . only my thoughts and somehow my ability to speak hasn't been disabled. Sometimes, I get glimpses of what my evil half has done . . . I don't remember doing any of it. And I get so scared, so afraid that she will do more than hurt people. And you said that I will eventually die . . . I fear that she'll do something reckless to my body and my soul will be lost forever . . .

"Do you know what I want?" She didn't wait for him to answer. "I want to thank you. For keeping me sane a little longer. I don't think I could've managed without your presence."

Dilandau remained impassive, but his mind was absorbing all that she had said. She really didn't know. It was sad, really. She seemed to think that this room was actually her subconscious. "Let me tell you something, Hitomi. Do you remember anything before this? Do you remember the night that you were kidnapped?"

She didn't reply for a while. "Yes."

"Do you remember what happened?"

"Yea, Eni and I were taken against our will by strangers . . . it happened so fast I didn't even see their faces. I don't know what they wanted with us. We were separated, I think. I remember a boy—Dilandau—he was one of the kidnappers. I—agh, I don't remember the rest of it."

"Would it comfort you if you knew where the boy was?"

"I guess."

Dilandau leaned forward and whispered, "He's in here with you."

He heard her gasp. "Where? He's in my head?"

He silently laughed at her. "No. No one's in your head, Hitomi. It's all you."

"No, I don't believe you."

"Then don't."

"You're confusing me . . ."

"Calmly, now. I believe there is much you don't know. Would you like me to tell you?"

He sensed her distress. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"Because I can ease your misery."

"Who _are_ you? You never even told me your name."

"I can't tell you. But I can tell you something else. This dark abyss, it's actually a room you've been locked in. Not your subconscious."

" . . . then why does the Hitomi I see in my visions look like me, if I'm here?"

"Ah, good question. You see, that person is an exact—"

"That's enough, Dilandau," interrupted a low, cool voice.

Hitomi gasped softly. "Dilandau! . . . you've been lying to me."

"No, no. I haven't lied to you. I've merely evaded your questions about who I am." Dilandau heard a soft rustle behind him. "Folken."

"I'm so tired," murmured Hitomi in a weak voice. "This has been too much . . . even for me."

Dilandau spoke to Folken. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm merely checking the patient. Does it bother you that I'm here?"

"No, it bothers me that you've been standing there the whole time listening to our conversation. Why didn't you just tell me?"

"I suspected as much. I was simply curious, but you can't tell her just yet. Maybe in a while—if I am able to organize enough information about the Hitomi project. I can't imagine why I was excluded."

"They named it after her?" Dilandau remarked in disbelief, ignoring her. "Is it even possible for them to get any lamer?"

"We've been here too long. Our presence will contaminate the air she's breathing. Remember, Dilandau, these rooms were designed to keep out light and the air inside the rooms were meticulously balanced to perfectly compliment the atmosphere. I'm afraid that is why she is feeling a little drained. We've been sucking up the oxygen because our lungs are not accustomed to the environment. However, hers are because she has—"

"Alright, alright. I freakin' get your point. Let's get out of here. I'm suffocating in here anyways."

"Don't leave me here!" came Hitomi's weakened voice.

Dilandau halted in mid-stride. He sense Folken somewhere beside him, the rustle of his cloak could be heard anywhere. "What do we do?"

Folken, as usual, took his time to reply. "I have no part in this, Dilandau. Whatever you do, choose wisely and let it be a lesson. I will not help nor will I save you."

"You sound like a goddamn priest."

To Dilandau's surprise, Folken actually laughed. It was not a good hard laugh, but a soft, sad one. "Your Dragonslayers are going to miss you."

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	13. Soul Departure

**Disclaimer:** Escaflowne is the property of Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment. I do not own Escaflowne or its characters. But the one thing I do own is the plot for this fic!

A/N: Thank you again for reviewing! You guys write the best reviews. Anywho, good news guys! As a treat for Halloween I decided to post another chappie. Yay! And I made this chapter especially to explain all that happened to Hitomi. It was purposely done this way in case you have any questions. Happy Halloween, everyone! Have fun trick or treating.

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Chapter 13

Soul Departure

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**

She stared, disgusted, at the wound on her shoulder. It was hideous. It marred her beautiful porcelain skin. If Hitomi ever came back, which wasn't any time soon, this would separate the likeness between them. She almost lost faith when Hitomi discovered that they both had green eyes. (A/N: If you don't remember, refer to Chapter 8: Midnight Rendezvous.) _After all, I am her twin._ At least that was what the Madoushi told her. They said she had suffered a mild memory loss after falling off a cliff. And the only thing they knew about her was that she had a twin. Hitomi.

Hitomi . . . how was she? Locked inside a black little box on Vione. What horror was she suffering? She pitied Hitomi, and yet at the same time she hated her. Everyone showered her with love because she was so kind hearted . . . so compassionate. Always ready to embrace the less fortunate into her open arms, spreading her love to all around her. What made her like this? She couldn't understand why the Madoushi were so interested in her. They both shared the same blood so why was containing Hitomi so important? Emperor Dornkirk requested extra effort from the Zaibach Elite Forces into this project. She couldn't let an insignificant question like that distract her from her mission. She couldn't risk getting discovered by anyone, especially Merle. She had to be especially wary around her. Merle always seemed to be on high alert.

And the young king of Fanelia . . . She really didn't want to, but it was all part of the package. In exchange for life in Fanelia, she was ordered to have Van wrapped around all her fingers. Because of her identical appearance to Hitomi, it was so easy for her. He did anything she asked and listened to anything she said. It took extreme measures for him to finally realize that he had feelings for Hitomi. Too bad his little Hitomi was locked up and the Hitomi he now saw was an entirely different person. Every poisonous drop she let fall into his food, a drop of guilt matched it. She really didn't want to feed it to him but, sadly, it was the price she paid for her freedom. Slowly, she drew the collar of her gown over the triple clover welt.

* * *

_Eni?_ Didn't Thades know she was still missing? Van remained impassive, lacking words to commute.

Thades gave a dejected shrug. "I know she hasn't been found yet. But I know she'll come back soon."

Van nodded. "Thank you, Thades. You've done very well tonight. You can have the rest of tonight and all of tomorrow off. I'll make sure fresh hay is delivered."

He gave a grateful smile before bowing low and returning to the lofty corner of his hay stacked bed.

Van mounted Zeus and waited patiently for Merle to emerge from the palace, which she eventually did fifteen minutes later. As soon as her eyes landed on the horses, they widened with bewilderment. "You asked me to come out here to ride in the dead of night?"

"Just get on."

"Jeez, someone's unhappy." But she clambered onto her saddleless steed, which was a feral beast descended from a faraway land. No one but Merle could ride her unhindered, and no one wanted to. Previous riders had suffered fatal injuries that took an incredible time to heal.

"Did you get the letter I left for you?"

She nodded. "You wanted me to talk to me, yes?"

"Yes. Let's ride for a while."

"Is secrecy that necessary?"

"Yes."

"Okay."

The rest of the way, the ride was silent. Van was brooding the matter in his mind. When they reached a thicket of dense trees, they dismounted and let their horses graze lazily by the river. Van led the way a little further down a wornout path to a place they once visited often as children. He sat down on a thick patch of grass and turned his face toward Merle. "Why did you do it?"

She looked back at him with guiltless eyes. "Do what?"

"You know what I'm talking about, Merle. You're the only one who uses those needles. I remember you accidentally hit a boy with it and his mother came over and nearly skinned us alive because it left a three-clover mark on his rear end."

"I remember, too," she murmured quietly. "I had to do it, Van."

"Why?"

"Because she's evil!"

"What? This is Hitomi we're talking about."

"No, Van, she isn't Hitomi. She's some evil bitch."

"Merle!"

"She _is_. I've seen her do things."

"Like . . .?"

Merle leaned forward and lowered her voice to a whisper. "I've seen her dropping this clear liquid into your food. And have you noticed that whenever she makes you food, she never touches it herself?"

"No."

"Whatever. Anyway, she doesn't ever eat it because it's full of poison. And I have an idea of what it could be. It's a poison called dreamer's kiss. Millerna taught me just incase someone accidentally drank it, mistaking it for water. It's colorless and odorless. The only immediate side affect it leaves is an incredibly bitter aftertaste. The poison's sole purpose is to weaken the brain's ability to think and remember. It finds its way into the victim's blood stream, where it leads an army of neurotoxins to the brain and overwhelming it. Sometimes the victim will pass out, and sometimes he won't. The victim suffers intervals of memory loss after a slight dosage, leaving the victim vulnerable because he will not remember if he ever drank it. But after a period of this, the victim is left mentally weak and weary. He will not have the ability to control what he thinks, making him extremely vulnerable and subject to persuasion. It will make it easy for anyone to influence his thoughts and actions."

Van nodded along with her, but didn't tell her that he had been experiencing bitter tastes in his mouth. It was probably something harmless that he ate, like a bittermelon. "And you're sure? She probably ate before me."

"Absolutely! How can you be so clueless? Next time don't eat anything she makes."

"What if she asks me why I'm not?"

"Then tell her that you already ate."

"But what if I'm hungry?"

"Then go get something from the market!"

"You're sure fervent about your opinions. I don't even get to decide for myself."

Merle flashed a triumphant smile. "Wouldn't I make an excellent king?"

Van laughed and gently ruffled her hair. "But why did you have to use the needles?"

"The real Hitomi's out there somewhere, Van. I can feel it. And this way I can tell which is the real one when Hitomi shows up and the other one decides to claim that she's the real Hitomi," she said solemnly.

"Are you sure you haven't been eating candy?"

"Van, I'm serious! Believe what ever you want, but I know she's somewhere and she'll come back."

"What makes you so sure of that? The Hitomi you see now could've been the same Hitomi before she was kidnapped. She could've been converted to evil by Zaibach influences."

"Trust me, Van. I know what I'm doing. And besides, Hitomi doesn't smell like _her_. That girl smells like someone I used to know around here . . . I forgot her name. My nose has never failed me, and it never will." She lay on her back and gazed at the twinkling stars. For a while they both were silent, until Merle sat up again and peered at him with searching eyes. "You know, Van, I remember how we used to laugh together at little things . . . stupid things. But since you became king . . . I don't know. Thing's have changed."

Van broke her gaze. "Is that a bad thing?"

She shrugged. "It depends on how you see it. I just miss the good old days."

"We'll have those days again soon. I promise." And he bent down and embraced her in a brotherly hug.

* * *

Allen's eyes scanned the detailed outline of the map of Fanelia before him, entirely bent on solving the mysterious case. He heard the door open, and assuming it was Gaddes, his eyes remained on the map.

"Allen," began Millerna's soft voice.

Allen looked, surprised. "Millerna, what are you still doing up? It's late."

"I know. I couldn't sleep. What are you doing?"

"Just looking over the fortress incident. Balgus wants a thorough investigation, though I'm not sure there's much left to look for after Balgus went and examined everything there is to be examined."

She went over and sat down on an empty chair across from him. "I heard about it, but no one would give me the full details. If you could tell me, maybe there's something I can do to help."

Allen looked sidelong at her, doubtful but went ahead and told her anyway. "It was a while ago. Fanelia's side fortress was obliterated by some unknown explosion. There were no traces of the evidence no matter how long we searched. Balgus found a set of Zaibach Alseides footprints about a mile or two from the wreck and somehow came to the crazy conclusion that Zaibach Guymelefs were responsible for the broken fortress. Even Van found it hard to believe."

Millerna perked up and founded her hands across her lap. "Well, that's easy. I heard Father and his generals discussing it before I left for Fanelia. They said something about Zaibach's new technology enhancement that allows them to shoot from a range of one mile. These were Father's exact words, 'First the Stealth Cloak and now the Chlima Claw liquid metal. What's next? Flame shooters?' I'm sure this liquid metal is the thing that destroyed the wall. Zaibach is fortunate to have Folken as their Strategos."

"You're sure of this?"

"Of course! It so happens that I actually saw a Zaibach Guymelef use the liquid metal claw to disintegrate a giant boulder from a distance of half a mile. That kind of technology is amazing! Now if only I could experience the joy of handling one . . ."

He stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you, Millerna. I'll inform Balgus. It'll confirm his beliefs. We have finally brought in end to this wretched mystery."

She looked up at him and smiled. "Anything for you, Allen. Anything."

* * *

Her eyes shot open as something was ripped from her arms. A firework of explosions blasted in the back of her eyes. _Agh, what is that pain? _The same ripping sound echoed in her ear as her temples burned with a searing wrath. She opened her mouth and was surprised to hear a loud, clear pitch pour out. Immediately, a hand clamped down on her mouth and cut off the flow.

"Shh! They'll hear us," hissed an urgent voice. It was Dilandau.

The name triggered a hazy memory. He was one of the kidnappers but where was the other one? And Eni . . . where was Eni? They had been separated early on and Hitomi never saw her again after. She hoped Eni was safe. Another jolting pain brought her back to the present. Why did it hurt so much? She was blinded by another ear-splitting pain. "What are you doing to me?"

"I'm helping you," he replied hastily.

She gasped as the skin on her other arm felt as if it was being torn to pieces. "By killing me? That's how you're going to save me?"

". . . no . . . wire tubings have been embedded into your skin and directly into your blood stream, mainly your major veins and arteries. I need to take them out so your body can function on its own again. There are only two left." He yanked one out. Hitomi stifled a scream. "Into these tubings, liquid narcotics and stimulants have been injected into you. It was to keep you down and keep you from resisting. You have been subject to minor hallucinations during your drug induced sleep."

"Why—ahhhh!" As the last wire tube was wrenched out, her body went into a spasm and suddenly all her senses came flooding back. It happened so fast her head slammed against the table she was lying on. She now was aware that she hadn't been a bodiless spirit floating around in a black space but instead pinned to a large metal table. The first thing her sensitive nose smelled was musky lilac and something masculine. The scent hit her hard and sent her brain reeling. A faint tingling spread from her toes and fingers and inward toward her heart, growing ever stronger with each passing moment. It now felt hundreds of thousands of needles were prickling her body. She never thought it would hurt so much to feel again. Dilandau undid the straps on her arms and torso. His fingers brushed against her skin, and as he did so, she felt strangely naked. Her hands flew to her chest and was relieved to find that it was covered by a slender cloth, and also that her lower regions were covered as well. Other than those articles, the rest of her body was bare. "Why are you doing this, Dilandau?"

He didn't answer her but continued freeing the straps on her legs.

The tingling sensation persisted to grow stronger, shocking her if she fidgeted. "You said you couldn't save me before."

"The circumstances have changed. Get up. Hurry, we've got to go."

She didn't know if she could and her body stung if she did. Nevertheless, she tried anyway. Argh, she was so weak from months of lying motionless. They probably didn't even feed her. Then a thought struck her. If this was her actual physical body, then who was the other girl that looked like her? Her twin? _So all this time, I've been lying here thinking that I was stuck inside my own mind while another soul took over my body . . ._ She tried again to sit up but her body refused to move, so drugged and exhausted it was by the toxic substances relentlessly fed to it. She gave up with a defeated sigh. "I can't. Apparently my body's too weak."

Dilandau sighed. "I was afraid of that. Hold on."

Hitomi felt his arms slide under her back and legs and lifted her off the table. Dilandau turned and moved his way cautiously in the dark towards the door. Hitomi felt her heart beat faster with a hope burning fiercely. She was finally free. Her grip around Dilandau's neck tightened.

Sensing her excitement, he said, "You don't want to choke me now. I'm your ticket out of here and if I pass out because of you you'll never see the light of day again. And don't get too excited. It's a long way out of here."

Nonetheless, she remained hopeful. Diladnau opened the door and it was as if the bright morning sun came out. It completely blinded her and all she saw was white, and it hurt her eyes. She buried her head into his chest and closed her eyes, trying to repress the surrounding light. Dilandau picked up his pace, stopping every now and then.

"Damn, there are guards everywhere," he muttered. He walked a little more and they passed through another door. Hitomi instinctively opened her eyes to see where they were, only to meet a throbbing flourescent whiteness. This time her eyes burned even more and watered.

"It hurts. It's too bright."

Dilandau stopped for a moment. "I forgot you weren't used to seeing light. Just close your eyes for now and tuck your head into my armor. Eventually your eyes will adjust, but I don't know when. The effects of the Dark Room vary according to each person."

Hitomi nodded. The lilac scent was coming from him. She wondered why he smelled like a flower. "Where are we?"

"Well, we're outside of the complex that you've been kept in . . . and we are going to board Oreides right now. You won't be able to come inside with me. I'll have to carry you by hand. Stay here and don't move—not that you could see your way around anyway." He set her down and his footsteps faded away from her. Presently, she heard a whooshing and compressing sound as if cool steam was being released. She then heard the sound of rumbling footsteps move toward her. She took a tentative step back, slowly because she was still temporarily blinded.

"It's only me," came Dilandau's reassuring voice from above her. It sounded strangely muffled.

Through her squinted eyes, she saw a flash of red and a large silhouette edging ever nearer to her. "What is that thing?"

"It's called a Guymelef."

Guymelef . . . suddenly an image of a stone white Guymelef popped into her mind. There was a glowing red gem that matched her pendant embedded on the left side of its breast. Somehow she knew this one wasn't the one Dilandau was piloting. She felt something cool and metallic wrap itself around her waist and pick her up. She felt a little frightened as she swiftly rose in elevation and her legs were left dangling. Slowly, she regained her composure and held on to the metal finger.

"Folken better lay his ass on the line for us. I'm not doing this for nothing. And it was his idea in the first place," muttered Dilandau.

"What are you talking about?"

"Folken foolishly believes that you're being used by the Madoushi for higher—ambitious—purposes. They have stopped informing him of their doings, which he is suspicious of. Folken no longer trusts Dornkirk because he suspects that the Emperor is trying to re-establish Gaea's fate using you as a portal between two worlds. Dornkirk seems to suspect that you have some sort of ancient power and wants to use it to achieve his ultimate goal: to control Gaea's fate and everyone on it. I don't know. That's all Folken would tell me."

Hitomi was silent for a moment. "You're hiding something from me."

"What are you my wife or something?"

"You're crazy. I hated you for kidnapping me in the first place."

"Hated . . . ?"

"It lessened to dislike after you rescued me."

"Well, don't thank me yet," he said haughtily. "You're still technically in danger. I've got—"

"Dilandau, sir!" screeched a shocked voice.

By now Hitomi's eyes had recovered enough to make out the outline of a blue figure with a blonde head running toward them.

"Sir, what are you doing with the girl!"

"Chesta, Chesta, Chesta . . . why of all times have you arrived before me faster than any of the others? You cease to amaze me. But here, I ask you to forget you ever witnessed this. I'll be gone for a while. Should anyone ask tell them I'm seeking the dragon. Don't mention the girl. And, Chesta, please don't disappoint me."

"But-but sir, why are you doing this?"

Dilandau heaved a weary sigh. "Things have come up, my dear Chesta. Go back to your station and make sure Reinse keeps his filthy paws out of my room."

"Yes, sir. Goodbye, sir."

As Dilandau maneuvered his Guymelef away from Chesta, Hitomi was struck by how much love and respect Chesta had for him. Her vision was rapidly sharpening and now she could see the details of Oreides' mechanical hand around her waist. Dilandau picked up his pace and pushed a button that would open the latch to the main exit for Guymelefs. Dilandau jumped out into the open air and switched to flight mode. The fall before the flight took her breath away. It was a amazing to feel the rush of the wind in her hair and against her face. It was much brighter out here but her eyes could take it. There were only some instances when her vision momentarily blurred. "What's that sound?"

"Huh?" Dilandau twisted a little to look behind him. "Damn. We weren't fast enough."

Hitomi looked back too and saw five similar looking Guymelefs tailing them. One of them spoke to Dilandau. "Hand over the girl, Dilandau. This is a direct order from General Adelphos."

Hitomi suddenly thought of Folken. "I hope Folken didn't pay too dearly for helping me. He was kind when he visited me that one time. I still can't believe it was you who visited me all along. I would've thought it was Folken if he hadn't said your name. You don't seem the kind of per—"

"Now's not the time to talk about that," said Dilandau in a distracted voice. "I can't concentrate and listen to you babble at the same time."

He veered Oreides sharply to the right and dove between to narrow cliffs. The five Guymelefs were still right behind them. "You will be dealt with if you don't follow his command!"

"Kiss my ass," he growled and dodged a long three clawed thing extending from one of the Guymelefs' hand. Hitomi stared incredulously at it. Another came at them and was able to strike Oreides's armor. It grazed Dilandau's chest. He uttered a cry and cursed under his breath. He steered dangerously close to one of the cliffs and flew upwards, landing inside a dense forest. He then used the Stealth Cloak to hide them from the soldiers view. Hitomi saw them pass and circle the forest several times. Finally after a time, half an hour or an hour later, they gave up and returned to Vione. Dilandau threw back the cloak and set Hitomi on the ground before tumbling out of the pilot seat. He gripped his chest and staggered.

Hitomi took a hesitant step toward him. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," he said gruffly and sat down against his Guymelef. He took off his armor and flung it aside and examined his wound. A scowl appeared on his face.

Hitomi kneeled down next to him. "Let me help."

"No. I said I was fine."

"No, you're not. Look, it's bleeding like crazy."

"Yes, and it'll stop."

"Eventually but by then you'll probably be dead. I can help you." She reached over and grabbed his hands, keeping them from covering up the wound. But the moment she did that, it was as if she was hit by lightning. A whole new set of memories shuffled inside her mind. It was as if she had entered a realm of previous lives. As she stood in the midst of memories she saw a very different Van bringing her to a floating fortress and handing her over to . . . Dilandau? A tied up Merle rushed over to Van and hugged him and the two flew away and left her there. Now Folken appeared and he treated her with a cold sort of kindness. She saw herself talking to Dilandau in the fortress garden. They seemed to be arguing. A matted arena appeared and they were now engaged in a fierce heated duel. Suddenly she was inside Folken's lab and he was explaining to her about Draconians and Atlantis. She was now in the kitchen and inches away from kissing Folken. The memory disappeared and was replaced with another. She was seated in a chair in a sort of lab. Folken was in the process of extracting a blood sample from her arm. The memory held an essence of betrayal.

Hitomi looked over at Dilandau and saw that he was in a daze. He was probably seeing the things that she saw but from his point of view. She knew all those things really happened. He gave her a nod to tell her that he knew too. What had happened? Why were these memories erased from their minds?

_Who is responsible for this?_

_

* * *

_


	14. Tragic Discord

**Disclaimer:** Escaflowne is the property of Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment. I do not own Escaflowne or its characters. But I do own the plot for this fic.

A/N: Woot woot! Here comes another chapter. Thank you for the awesome reviews. Yes, they're so rad! Thanksgiving is coming up and you know what that means? (hint:A chapter was posted on Halloween.) Yes, yes? hahah anyway, enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 14**

**Tragic Discord**

**

* * *

**

"Don't do that again," gasped Dilandau. He looked like he was about to vomit.

Hitomi looked at his smooth white chest and saw that the blood had begun to clot. It had stained his lavender shirt a dark red and it was all over his chest. "Stay here. I'll go find some water to clean that off."

"No, we have to stick together."

Hitomi's mouth twitched. "What are you my husband or something?"

Dilandau laughed softly, and then grimaced as the act of laughing ruptured the wound. "Fine, go if you wish. But don't come running back to me when you see something out there."

"Whatever. Give me your sword. I have to protect myself somehow."

"Do you know how to handle one?"

"Yes. In case you've forgotten-"

"Just go. Your face is getting on my nerves."

Hitomi stood over him and threatened to smack him. "Say that again and I'll scratch your pretty little face."

He laughed sharply. "Pretty? You see that scar right there?" He watched her and when she didn't say anything, he added, "That's what I thought."

Hitomi reached over and gently traced the outline of it before he could react. Suddenly she was sucked into a portal in time. As she stood in the background, Van and Dilandau were fighting each other outside of the palace vineyard. Her past self had gone inside the bedroom moments before this happened. The two were arguing about something and with a quick movement Van slashed Dilandau across the face. Dilandau had made the mistake of letting his guard down and was left to brood over the mark. "Van did this to you."

"Yes, he did," he agreed bitterly. "You just wait until I get my hands on him."

"No, Dilandau. Violence doesn't solve anything."

"Tch. Of course it does. It gets rid of your problems and you'll never have to deal with them again."

"Don't you care if people are affected by it?"

He didn't answer but closed his eyes. "Weren't you going to get some water?"

She sighed and let him lying there. As she picked her way through the underlying roots and deeper into the forest, she heard the sound of running water approaching. Finally she reached a steadily flowing stream, but there was someone standing facing her. There was no way Hitomi was going run back to Dilandau. The figure was small and slender and clad in a long white robe. It was a young girl with streaming silver hair. In her hands was a dark blue velvet bag. Hitomi shivered, having forgotten that she was clad in almost nothing.

"Hello, Hitomi."

Hitomi stopped dead in her stride, and stared at the little girl. "How do you know my name?"

A smile played on her lips. "You don't remember me?"

". . . no . . ."

"Silly, I've conversed with you once already. In your dreams. Do you remember?"

Still, Hitomi didn't know and shook her head.

The smile remained on the girl's lips. She turned around and walked barefoot into the water. "Follow me. I have something to show you."

"Couldn't you just show me right here?"

"No, silly." She crossed the stream and beckoned Hitomi to follow. Hitomi carefully stepped on to large rocks and reached the other side dry. The girl was just ahead of her and seemed to be glowing around the edges for some reason. The girl turned her head and smiled. "Just a little further, Hitomi."

They came across a suddenly barren land seemingly all together void of life. Hitomi looked around and felt chilled to the bone. Why was she led to this place? Further still was their destination. The girl seemed to be glowing even more and looked eerily out of place. Hitomi looked behind her and saw that the lush forest was gone from sight, only dry, cracked earth met her eyes. There were dead trees scattered about. Some were drooping as if from weakness and some were completely snapped in half. Hitomi didn't feel the burning rays of the sun but instead a drafty cold that seeped through her skin. But she couldn't understand why. If the sun hadn't parched the land, what did? Unexpectedly, the girl stopped.

"Do you see this, Hitomi? It's a sad place to live."

Hitomi nodded slowly. "What happened here?"

"What you see here is what once was but your companion will see it as it is now. A cruel war among men once raged in this very place. You must know it wasn't for selfish reasons. They played too closely with fire and were unable to bend it to their will. And destruction was the only way to relinquish its wrath. These feuds were the fruit of prolonged disputes accumulated until finally it caused one devastating explosion. They wanted a war to end all wars."

"But you see, these men were pure Draconians and they wanted an ever reverence of peace to drift among all that dwelled on Gaea. Those that opposed, long crowned kings, feared their commonwealth was at stake and fought to keep it as it was in the beginning." The girl continued to glow in that eerie way and stooping down she picked up a charred remnant of bark. It was blackened around the edges but its center retained its natural milky brown color.

She continured. "Time has changed things. This bark represents many of the men's hopes. Though burned and destroyed on the outside, the inside remains unscathed. Such as men's bodies were burned and destroyed, their hope remained that the future generation would heed their failure and build a new era. Their children saw with their young eyes feuds which would inevitably bring about Gaea's destruction."

Hitomi saw the battle raging on as if she was there in the very heart of it. The scene before her was painted with violents strokes of red. Many were slain and lay dead on the burning battle field. Hitomi saw tall honorable men fall to their deaths at the hands of their enemies. Some bodies had arrows and spears mutilating it while others had been crushed by the enormous weights of dead horses. Some men had been carrying torches and had accidentally let the torches fall on harmless trees. The fire spread from tree to tree until none were left in sight. The river had managed to stop the fire from spreading even further, but it perished in doing so. It now lay dry and parched as if it never was.

"At long last, a brotherhood of foolish but fearless Draconians banned together and secretly used the power of their will-even though it was forbidden at the time-to sacrifice themselves to bring an end to the war. They were successful but never again did the common people look upon them with the same respect. People grew to fear them as they would their enemies."

Hitomi looked at the girl with wonder. She had a remarkable set of vocabulary for one so young. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Long ago, there came a man from the Mystic Moon. He was gifted with a vast knowledge of science and he used his knowledge to help others. Soon they became accustomed to him and his new mechanical devices. But he grew tired and he built himself a giant empire with him as emperor. Under his command, cities flourished and technology advanced beyond imagination. However, the people in these cities suffered endlessly. And he did nothing to help them. But it was not his purpose. He was sent to Gaea for a reason. His purpose was to unite men of Atlantis and Gaea together under one kingdom but he shamefully failed. Thus, the gods have appointed a new human."

Hitomi felt a sudden understanding, but didn't want to acknowledge it. She glanced at the little white haired girl again, who was starring intently up at her. "But . . ."

The girl nodded knowingly at her. "You understand, Hitomi." She offered Hitomi the bag in her hands. "Take it. It's yours."

Hitomi hesitantly took the bag. It was fairly light and she could feel something oval-ish and hard inside. "Thank you."

The girl spoke again. This time her voice sounded harsh. "You will play with fire, Hitomi. A fire so cunning you may not realize it. But use the power of your wishes to drown it. But rekindle it once you have gained control over it. The gods of Atlantis have left a gift for you. Use it wisely." Fire? Hitomi was suddenly reminded of a dream she hadThen her voice changed, now sounding sweet and sad. "Farewell, Hitomi."

The girl disapparated right in front of her. Hitomi was suddenly reminded of the dream where a voice had warned her with a riddle-like poem. She didn't understand it then, but now she could sort of grasp the meaning of what it tried to tell her. Hitomi held back a shiver and opened the bag. Inside was her pendant. Shocked, Hitomi reached to her neck and found it bare. When had it gone? It was there when she was in the black rooms when she had that strange life-like vision with Van. She slipped the necklace on and when she blinked, the barren land was transformed to a deep green forest. Dilandau was leaning against a tall lean tree with a hand on his injured chest.

"You are one strange girl, Hitomi. Do you like talking to yourself like that?"

Hitomi glared at him. "I wasn't talking to myself. I was having what you call a 'vision'."

"I found a stream while you were having your 'vision.' You were taking so long I thought I was actually going to die. What did you see anyway?"

She hesitated and wasn't sure if she should tell him. "I just saw things."

"Like what we both saw earlier?"

"Those were more like flash back memories."

"So they were visions."

"Yes, they're visions."

"Hah. Why didn't you just say so in the first place?"

Hitomi scowled. "Where are we going to go now? We've got to sleep some where."

"Here is fine as any where. I'll get a fire going." As he said that, his red eyes gleamed. Hitomi wasn't sure what to make of that. Dilandau disappeared in the thicket and came back with a pile of dry wood and got a fire going faster than Hitomi could breathe. _He looks like he's best friends with flames._

Hitomi backed away as the flames grew higher and higher. "Okay, Dilandau. I think that's enough."

Dilandau shook his head. "No. It's not. Watch as I create a masterpiece."

She wondered how he managed to stoke the fire so well as injured as he was. The flames leaped higher and spontaneously. She felt her eyes were burning with an unbearable heat, as if it was being cooked. The moisture on her face was sucked dry and a little skin was beginning to peel. She wondered how he could endure standing so close to it. There was a delighted smile on his face. His wound had begun to bleed again, and he didn't even notice.

Now why did this seem so familiar . . . and then she remembered. It was the time when she first saw him but, then, it was the side of his face bleeding and he hadn't noticed either. It was as if he was almost immune to pain at times. Hitomi had backed at least 50 feet away and Dilandau remained unblanched by the scorching flames. His face was lit aglow, almost red as his eyes. "Here's your precious sword. I'm going to sleep now-away from the fire."

"It's harmless!"

"That's what you think." She lay rather far from Dilandau's bonfire and settled on a patch of soft, smooth tufts of grass. Ironically, it was the steady crackle of the fire that seduced her into a warm, comforting sleep. The next thing she knew, Dilandau was hovering over her and yelling something.

"Get up! We gotta keep moving. Someone's on our trail." He ran back into the forest where his Guymelef had been resting. As he came back, he muttered, "How careless of me. I actually forgot about my own Guymelef last night."

Hitomi blinked a few times and rolled over on her stomach, refusing to move. She shivered from the cold, wet morning dew. Huge droplets fell from soaked leaves and plopped onto the moist ground. "Who's been following us?"

"Not someone. Some _thing_."

As he said that, Hitomi felt her body instantly wake itself up. "How big is it?"

"I don't know. I haven't actually seen it but I've been hearing it prowling after us. Come on. I'll lift you up." He activated the liquid metal claw and lifted her onto Oreides' shoulder. And then he pulled on the stealth cloak. "Let's see what this bastard looks like."

Moments later, Hitomi heard the sound of bare feet plodding on fresh green grass. A strange human-like figure came creeping toward the remnants of the fire from the previous night. It had gleaming jewel green eyes and a ghastly white face, and it was disturbingly naked. It sniffed the air furiously, as if it searched by scent rather then sight. But the scorched scent of wood overpowered Hitomi and Dilandau's scent and made it difficult for the creature to locate where their smell was coming from. It gave a frustrated grunt and moved away from them.

When Hitomi felt it was safe, she whispered, "What was that?"

"A doppelganger."

"Doppelganger . . . ?"

"Yes, Hitomi. A doppelganger."

"What is a-"

"It's a creature with the exceptional ability to duplicate another's image. A great fatality is that it kills its victim after mirroring his or her image so no one will ever find out that the doppelganger copy is the fake."

"How do I know you're not one, then?"

Dilandau snorted. "Good question. You don't. You'll just have to trust me."

She raised her eyebrow. "What makes you think I'm not one either?"

"I don't. But I can tell. Even a doppelganger could make you prettier."

"You're lucky you're inside that Guymelef or else I'd have all your hair ripped out."

Dilandau laughed at her expression, but immediately sobered up. Something was moving in the dark shade of the tree branches. It moved with unmatched stealth, so quiet, so deadly. Hitomi's ear pricked at the sound of dry twigs snapping and branches creaking, bending beneath the weight of the doppelganger. It knew Hitomi and Dilandau were there. It had heard the rise and fall of their voices resonating through the hush quiet of the forest. _It frightens me how it's hunting us like this._ Hitomi squinted her eyes, hoping to catch a glimpse of the doppelganger.

"Come out, you coward," tempted Dilandau. "What's the use in hiding? I already know where you are."

"Why don't _you_ come out of that shell, Dilandau."

"Zongi. Who sent you here? Was it General Adelphos"

"Silly boy. Why would _he_ bother to ask me? Even your Strategos would cringe. But nonetheless, it was the emperor himself. Zaibach has definitely resorted to extreme measures this time, hiring me to do their dirty work."

Hitomi felt its prowling eyes watch them from its hiding place. And when it spoke again, Hitomi felt as if it was right behind her. "It's quite rare that I get the honor to kill a Zaibach Elite soldier. But then again, there hasn't been a traitor for fifty long years."

_Holy cow, how old was this creature?_ She looked behind her but she didn't see it. Dilandau opened the pilot cover and jumped down, landing with a graceful air. _How was it even possibly possible to jump so daintily?_

He pulled out his sword and flung it at a random tree. A branch broke and the doppelganger fell. It landed on all fours and then straightened up. Then it looked at Hitomi and Dilandau before it threw back its head and laughed. "I congratulate you, Dilandau. You've managed to locate me so easily."

"What do you want?"

"Haven't you realized it yet, or have you been careless?" With that, the creature seized Hitomi by the neck and dragged her in front of it. "Farewell, Dilandau. I regret that I have not been permitted to slay you, but once this is over we shall inevitably meet again."

Hitomi felt like she couldn't breathe, but Zongi had let her neck go already. With its long gangly arms wrapped firmly around her, it dashed quickly back into the forest. She was dragged at a fervent pace in, around, through, and under bulky branches and wide splayed leaves. Some whacked and smacked her soundly in the face. After some time of frantic marching, Hitomi summed up enough courage to ask, "Where are you taking me?"

Zongi paused in his­–_she? I don't know what gender . . . its voice sounds masculine . . ._ he paused in his hasty stride and listened for Dilandau's Guymelef. Hitomi hadn't heard anything and evidently Zongi believed so too. "I was assigned to bring you back to Vione because you had somehow escaped. I am aware the emperor has need of you, or rather I should say, your powers. You are from the Mystic Moon, no? Perhaps that is where your power is derived. Come along, now. We still have a way to go before we reach Vione."

He grabbed her arm but suddenly pulled back his hand, as if he had touched a hot stove. His shining eyes were dilated and he uttered noises that sounded like he was being choked. His hands groped at Hitomi and finally caught her arms in a death grip. Hitomi was jerked into a chasm of hypnotic hues. She and Zongi were standing two arm lengths apart and facing each other. He looked bewildered.

"What have you done to me, witch? Let me out!"

Hitomi shook her head. "I didn't do it. I don't know what you're talking about!"

He took a step toward her and out of no where came a thick mass of oozing substance. A sick sucking sound came from it. It absorbed his feet and made its way up toward the rest of his body. He desperately tried to free himself, kicking and pulling. "Make it stop! It's eating me. Why aren't you making it stop?"

"I can't. I don't know how!"

The ugly grey blob gurgled and wrapped its numerous tentacle-like arms around Zongi's head. A frantic look passed over his face and his hands clawed at the grey mass around his neck. "Don't just stand there. Help me! I–"

At last, the blob consumed Zongi and muffled his last cries. Hitomi saw the outline of Zongi's outstretched hand against the thick oozing mass. She covered her ears and closed her eyes. "Stop it! Stop it! STOP IT!"

As if time was stilled, the world went silent. She no longer heard Zongi's violent shouts. She no longer heard the sucking, smacking sound of the hideous blob. Instead she heard the distant sounds of carefree blue jays warbling happily to their neighbors. She opened her eyes and found that she had returned to the forest and Zongi now lay on the floor, panting heavily.

He raised his eyes and glared at her. "What the _devil_ was that?"

"I-I don't know." Her hands shook from the tremulous shock. She didn't tell him that it was a premonition of his death. She didn't know how she knew but she felt it so strongly.

He rose, eyeing her warily. "Indeed, you are powerful. It isn't such a wonder why Dornkirk wants you."

He began walking again. This time keeping a fairly good distance between him and Hitomi. When they reached a plain, Hitomi caught sight of a cloaked floating fortress. The stealth cloak must have been designed for the fortresses as well, to keep hidden in cases of emergency. The fortress disappeared again. Zongi went on ahead and told her to stay where she was. She made an attempt to warn him of the vision but he had left already. He reached the other side of the forest and disappeared inside its enveloping shadows. Hitomi crossed her arms over her body in an effort to keep warm. She studied her surroundings and found it extremely dull.

A pained scream filled the air and caused a nearby flock of birds to shoot straight out of their nest. They flew in alarmed circles above in the sky, screeching angrily. Hitomi looked worriedly in the direction that Zongi had gone. Perhaps he had met his fate there. She followed Zongi's path and soon found his crushed body lying in a disturbing angular position. Her heart pounded in her ears as her eyes moved down the battered body. Every bone seemed to have been crushed to fine powder. His skull no longer supported the skin around his head and lay limp and smashed, eyes bulging precariously. His ribs had collapsed and revealed the bulk of his internal organs. Hitomi could almost make out the shape of a liver and heart. She nearly cried when she saw how his legs were twisted underneath his body, bent at add angles.

"It's fascinating how a life can be so easily snuffed out," whispered Dilandau's lilting voice.

Did she catch a note of satisfaction in his voice? What kind of a sick bastard enjoyed killing? "You killed him."

"Yes, I did. He foolishly interfered."

"Why must there be so much violence? I don't want to see it anymore . . ." Her voice faltered as tears gathered on her lashes.

"There will always be death as long as there is life."

"But to kill purposely?"

"It's survival of the fittest, Hitomi. You know that."

"Why?"

"There is no room for weakness here. It's either fight or die."

"Then I'd rather die," she said softly.

"You don't mean that, do you? Even you must value your life. Don't you?"

He received no answer. He looked over at her but didn't see any expression written on her face. He shrugged and climbed into Oreides' pilot seat. Hitomi lifelessly let him carry her and didn't say anything the rest of the way.

* * *

Keeping in mind the conversation he had with Merle the previous night, an unexpected idea sprang into his mind. Van gently climbed out of bed and went around to Hitomi's side. Her eyes fluttered opened and didn't seem surprised to see him. Her hand cupped a side of his face and a smile lighted her face. He though he saw a longing in her eyes.

"Hello, Van."

"Hitomi, I want you to come with me."

"Where?"

"Just come with me. I wanna see something."

Hitomi stifled a yawn. "Couldn't we do it later? It's so early."

"Come on. It's not that early."

"Gah, fine." She rose from the bed and wrapped a thick robe tightly around her. "Where are we going?"

Taking her by the hand he said, "You'll see."

Van led her to one of the matted dojos and registered the puzzled expression on her face. He grabbed his sword and handed its smaller twin to her. "Let us duel."

"What? But I–"

"You've fought with me before, remember?"

"Oh, yes. I remember," she said quickly.

"Okay, remember your stance." Van watched her as she awkwardly held the sword in her hands. For some strange reason he felt his adrenaline rise. "You probably forgot. Here, I'll show you."

When she finally got it, Van pulled his sword out of its sheath and touched it with hers, engaging the battle. He let her make the first swipe and blocked it quite easily. He noticed her grip on the hilt was disgracingly weak. He let her advance on him for several rounds, always blocking each one rather easily. "You can do better, Hitomi."

Hitomi pursed her lips and nodded. Van dealt the next blow and knocked the sword out of her hand. Hitomi's hand flew up in surprise. He made her pick it up and try again. This time not only did he knock the sword out of her hand again, Hitomi cried out as her wrist twisted with the impact of his sword. He saw that her stance would make a man cry. Van remembered the time they had fought on the roof and he had been amazed at the skill she possessed. But this . . . this was pitiful!

Suspicion began to arise in him but he reasoned that it wasn't enough to convince him yet that Merle was right. He would need more proof. Hitomi looked at him with a sort of fear and discreetness. He wasn't sure what to make of it. Perhaps she was still drowsy and wasn't alert yet. He decided it must be so and forgave her clumsiness for the moment.

"What happened, Hitomi?"

". . . I . . . I was still sleepy. That's all."

Van nodded and smiled at her. "We'll have another round some time today then. When you're not tired."

As Van passed her to open the door, he never saw the evil look she gave him.

* * *


	15. Blessed Ascension

**Disclaimer:** Escaflowne is the property of Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment. I do not own Escaflowne or its characters. But I do own the plot for this fic.

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**Chapter 15**

**Blessed Ascension**

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**

_He's catching on, but is it safe to increase the dosage of the poison?_ She frowned at the contents inside the phial she held in her hand. She couldn't let him find out . . . Moments ago, having noticed that he didn't eat her food, she managed to pour some into his drink when he wasn't looking. It was all that stupid Merle's fault. She probably urged him not to eat it.

It wouldn't hurt to give him just a little more, right? What was more important? His life or hers? As she turned these two choices over inside her head, she felt a stabbing pain pierce her temple. "Agh, why does it hurt?"

She raised a perfectly manicured hand to her temple but the pain only increased by greater degrees. A sharp white light seared her mind and the pain of a distant memory came to her. She saw quick flashes in distorted sepia of a sort of surgical room and strange contraptions. Her eyes caught a small long tube filled with an unrecognizable fluid.

She uttered a groan and brought both her hands to her head. More quick slide images. She saw a human-like creature writhing on a bed with restraints around its wrists and ankles. The image flashed again and she could now see it in color. There was a doctor of some sort in a long black robe with his back to her. She saw him hold a huge needle containing seperate tubes. One side had a thick red fluid, possibly blood, and the other had a clear, pale green liquid. The doctor tested the needle, squirting a little out into the air and as the two liquids met, the colors mixed producing an odd purple pink hue. As soon as she blinked the image faded from her mind.

"What's going on? What was it that I saw?"

Just then, the door slammed open. Merle barged in in an angry manner and slammed it shut again. "What have you done to Van!"

Playing it cool, she discreetly tucked the phial into her sleeve. "I've done nothing."

"Liar. I just saw you hide the poison right now!"

"You did, did you? You've got keen eyes, Merle."

"Lord Van's sick! What did you do to him?" cried Merle in a desperate voice.

_Sick? Maybe I did give him too much . . ._ She mentally shrugged. It was too late now to do anything, but perhaps, it wasn't too late to do something about Merle. She unscrewed the cap on the phial and held it ready. "Do you really need me to tell you?"

Merle's violet eyes flashed. "I want you to say it."

She sighed. "Fine. I did it. I poisoned him. Probably enough to kill him."

Merle's face turned pale and she nodded robotically, eyes starring into space. She licked her dry lips and said in a low, hollow voice. "I always knew you were evil. And I've always known you weren't Hitomi.""

She shrugged. "If you're such a good doctor why don't you go save him?"

"I tried but it's not the same poison you've been using for the past few weeks."

"Very clever."

"What poison did you give him?" Merle asked with rising anger.

"If I tell you, how do you know I'm not lying?"

"I'll expose you."

"How now? You have no proof," she scorned.

"You have no idea, bitch."

She felt indifferent to the hate-inflicted word. "And who in their right mind is going to believe you?"

"Van will," Merle said confidently.

"You must be kidding me," she said in disbelief. "He may die any moment now. With him goes your proof."

"He will believe me," Merle reinstated with finality. She then left the room as if flames were scouring the floor.

She sighed again, somewhat discouraged. She recapped the phial and hid it under the table.

* * *

"Dilandau, do you think Folken knows why our memories were erased?" Hitomi turned her face up to him.

There was silence for a moment. "I think he might."

"I must admit, I wasn't wrong when I mistaked you for a girl."

"I don't want to talk about it."

Hitomi laughed softly and quietly regained herself. "You were in it all along, weren't you? That whole plan to deceive me."

"Yes, I was," he replied passively.

Hitomi quietly gazed at the shifting scenery. Her thoughts finally sorted themselves out and she thought now of Van. It had felt such a long time ago, and it probably had been too. She wondered how he was doing and what he was doing. Then she remembered her evil twin. What else had she done? Hitomi hoped that she left Van alone. She felt rather jealous that someone else, even if it was her twin self, was spending time with him. She felt her cheeks heat up at this. _Should I be jealous? Does he remember my warning?_

While deep in her thoughts, she didn't notice they were coming to surrounding areas that she once had seen. Hitomi clasped her hands together as she imagined herself kissing Van and then stopped herself, blushing fervently.

"Why are your cheeks all red?" Dilandau asked curiously.

_Stupid Dilandau._ "Oh, it's nothing. It's just a little hot. That's all." Hitomi looked around and her eyes widened. "Are we in Fanelia?"

"Yes. We're almost there. Maybe a mile or two."

She could hardly believe it. What was going to happen once they reached it? Would she see her twin? And--and Van! Her excitement could barely be contained. "Why . . . why are we going to Fanelia?"

Dilandau broke into a grin. It almost looked crazy. "There's only one person I could ever want in Fanelia."

"Van . . ." Suddenly, Hitomi felt afraid for him. She had seen the product of Dilandau's killing and she feared that Van might meet the same fate. _Van, where ever you are, don't show yourself._ She had to find a way to keep Dilandau from entering the city. "Why do you want to hurt him so bad?"

"Huh? You _looove_ him, don't you?" He laughed sharply.

"What? No! You're crazy." But even as she said that she could feel her face turn red.

"I'm sorry, Hitomi, but I think you do."

"Shut up."

Dilandau laughed again. "It's a shame I'll have to kill him."

Hitomi looked up. "Couldn't you just give him a scar like yours?"

"No way. It's no way near as good as taking his damn life."

"You have to kill me too before I let you touch a hair on his body."

He looked outraged. "What did you just say? I'm supposed to be 'protecting' you right now and you want me to kill you? Just to save your precious Van."

She nodded. "It's the only way I'll let you kill him."

He scowled and cast her a dark look before giving up. "Fine. I'll spare him a little longer just for you. Aren't you special."

"Thanks," she said breathlessly. She didn't think he'd give in so easily.

Then Dilandau had to kill the mood by saying, "I told you you're in love with him." He grinned again as Hitomi shot him a look. "Well, since I'm not _allowed_ to kill Van, what's the point in going to Fanelia anyway?"

"We can't leave," she pleaded with him.

"Why?"

"Something's going to happen. I can feel it."

Dilandau nodded, not quite convinced yet not quite against.

Hitomi gasped. She felt Van's pain. "Van's hurting. He's hurting, Dilandau."

"And I care because . . . ?"

"Hurry, we've got to get there soon!"

Maybe because he heard the urgency in her voice or believed, Dilandau switched to flight mode and made for Fanelia as fast as his Guymelef would go. He kept close to the natural shield of the trees to prevent being seen by the townspeople. Hitomi held tightly to the liquid metal around her waist. Her face was wrought with fear and anxiety. She didn't notice that Dilandau's face was twisted with pain but he never said a word and kept on flying.

And then, they were there. Hitomi peered out into the heart of the city and found it changed and yet the same. Dilandau climbed down and wrapped the stealth cloak around Oreides. Hitomi looked at him and smiled excitedly, but still feelling very much afraid. He gave a slight nod and began walking down the hilly road leading to the gates of Fanelia. Hitomi followed behind.

When they reached the gates, two big, burly sentried stopped them, starring at Hitomi with nervous eyes. She suddenly felt embarrassed and clasped her hands in front of her to cover as much skin as possible.

"Stop right there. No one is allowed inside," ordered one of the sentry gruffly.

Dilandau rolled his eyes, to which brought back a memory to Hitomi who had to try very hard to suppress a foolish grin. "Step aside. By the courtesy and order of the Zaibach Emperor, I was sent here to check up on Fanelia."

One of the sentry men looked surprised. "We apologize for this inconvenience. Please enter."

As Hitomi and Dilandau walked passed, the two men bowed down and muttered more apologies.

"That's right, you dogs," muttered Dilandau.

Hitomi noticed that he had his hand over his breastplate but didn't think too much of that. Deeper and deeper they trodded into the city. When Hitomi stopped to look at a stall selling trinkets, an angry person had bumped into Hitomi without apologizing.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" she yelled after that person. Hitomi thought the figure looked strangely familiar.

The figure stopped and turned around. "Hitomi?"

"Merle!" Htiomi gasped.

Merle's ear twitched and she came sailing to Hitomi, crushing her bones in a death grip. "Hitomi!" she sobbed.

"Merle, what's wrong?"

She continued sobbing. "You-you came back. There's something wrong with Van, Hitomi. I-I don't know how to help him."

"Then you knew? That there was an imposter who looked like me?"

Merle nodded vigorously. "I knew, but stupid Van . . . it was so hard to make him believe me. He always thought that _she_ was you."

Hitomi bit her lips and glanced worriedly at Dilandau. "I want to go see him."

"Don't look at me. There's no way I'm going to see that bastard."

"You!" Merle pointed at him after noticing his presence. "What are _you_ doing here?"

He grimaced and made a lazy attempt to smirk. "Why do you care?"

Merle frowned and grabbed Hitomi's hand, taking her to the palace but Hitomi stopped her. "What will they say if they see me like this?"

"Oh . . . here, put this cloak around you. Let's go."

Hitomi glanced back at Dilandau and saw him looking after them. He gave her a grim smile. "You're not going to come with us?"

"No."

"Okay." Hitomi followed Merle up the flight of stone steps winding up to the Fanelian palace. Its tall prominent towers loomed down at her, almost beckoning for her to hurry. _Almost there. Hold on, Van, I'm coming._

_

* * *

_

Dilandau watched with--was it envy?--as Hitomi hurried up the stone steps. _Envy? Impossible, I do not envy._ And yet he felt the gripping claws of jealousy anyway. The wound on his chest had gone untreated for quite some time and was susceptible to infection, and yet he did not utter a word. Was it that he disliked pity . . . or rather, that he abhorred the very image of weakness? Yes, that must be it. He refused to let others see him weak like some pathetic, whimpering dog.

When he no longer saw Hitomi climbing up the steps, he didn't know why but he circled the palace. As he searched, he saw through a window Van lying on a bed in one of the rooms, probably his own. Dilandau watched with curiosity at the king's pale, sweaty face. "Van, this is your moment of weakness. How does it feel?"

Van's brow furrowed and relaxed. His hand twitched and gripped the blanket, letting go after a few seconds.

Dilandau gave a bitter laugh. "I'd give anything to kill you right now, but your precious Hitomi's protecting you right now. If she dies, you're no longer safe from me."

"Dilandau, what are you doing here?" a voice like Hitomi's asked.

He turned around, smirking. "I see you're quite well, Eni."

"Don't say my name! It's not safe here," she hissed.

"Well, why the hell not? Hitomi's back."

Eni's eyes widened and she paled for a moment. Then regaining her composure, her eyes hardened. "Did you bring her here?"

He didn't answer her, but studied her features. It was amazing what a little trimming and cleansing could do. When Eni had served as a spy in the Fanelian castle, she was attired to fit the purpose. Her hair was long and scraggy, even dirty. Her face was usually hidden underneath that mane so no one recognized the uncanny similiarity between her and Hitomi. Even her personality had to be altered to infiltrate suspicion. But now, so clean, so fresh, Eni indeed looked exactly like her in every detail. Unfortunately, Eni had no idea what costs it took the Zaibach Empire to achieve such likeness.

But he knew. Or at least he had an idea. It was the lost memories he had just regained that gave him enough information to formulate the assumption. Folken probably knew though. Dilandau had forgotten about Folken until now. Though he would never admit it, he did worry for him. Folken was the first person to show him sympathy, but never pity. He had saved him from the Madoushi and protected him. This debt he owed to Folken, he would repay in full.

"Did you?" she asked again.

"What does it matter. She's here either way."

"Get down! Someone's coming in Van's room." Eni grabbed him and with great strength pushed his body down just under the window sill. "It's Hitomi."

She said it with such vehemence Dilandau was surprised. He realized with bitter satisfaction that Eni was jealous of Hitomi. He peered over the sill and saw Hitomi rush over to Van. Again, that feeling came to him, but he shoved it coldly aside.

"You're bleeding, Dilandau."

"What?" He looked down at his breast plate and saw that his blood had oozed down the armor. "Damn it."

"Shh!" Eni turned to the window and so did he.

* * *

Hitomi entered Van's dim room with Merle following behind and saw his sickly figure on the bed. She sat down beside him. "Van, you're so cold." Hitomi placed her hand on his forehead and then his cheek. They both felt cold and clammy. "Can you hear me?"

He made an attempt to speak. ". . . yea."

"Merle, can't you treat him?"

"I tried but nothing worked. I don't know what poison _she_ used."

"Oh no. Did you get Millerna to come?"

Merle shook her head. "She's out of town."

Hitomi's shoulder sagged. She feared for Van's life and hoped desperately that something could be done. "What are we going to do?"

Van's fingers tightened around her hand. "Hitomi . . . I . . . have to tell . . . you something."

It was impossible to imagine how her heart felt when he spoke with gaining vigor. "What is it?"

"I . . . remember . . ." Van swallowed thickly before continuing. "I'm sorry, Hitomi."

"What are you sorry for?"

"I ever met you."

Hitomi's heart dropped to her stomach. "What?"

He laughed weakly. "Just kidding."

She couldn't help but feel angry. "Stupid, what's wrong with you! If you weren't sick right now I'd smack you until your skull cracks."

"Remember . . . when I said . . . I liked to get you mad?" He grinned shakily. "I still do."

Her heart gave a flutter. She blushed and tried to hide it. "Well, I don't!"

"Guys, I'm still here," Merle reminded. "Flirt when you're better Van. You may get some action."

"Merle!" cried Hitomi and Van together, though Van's cry was soft.

The door burst open with such a force the ceiling shook, and Hitomi thought she saw a crack on the door. Jacques rushed in. "Van! My dear boy!" He knelt before the bed and wept openly infront of them. Van gave Hitomi a strained, embarrassed look and she returned a you-deserved-it look.

"What am I going to tell the people?" Jacques wailed.

Van breathed deeply before answering. ". . . don't."

"Don't tell them? Van, half the town knows already."

Van shook his head and said no more. Instead he fell into a perturbed slumber. He had used up his strength talking to Hitomi. She watched his face worriedly. _Stay alive, Van, for me. For all of us. Your people need you. I need you too._

_

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A/N: Gah! I said I was going to post this chappie on Thanksgiving but I finished it faster than I realized! But perhaps, a chappie will be posted on Thanksgiving. I'm looking forward to seeing your reviews! I hope I didn't disappoint anyone with this chapter. Stay in tune for the next update! Au revoir, faithful readers of mine!


	16. A Dying Illusion

**Disclaimer:** Escaflowne is the property of Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment. I do not own Escaflowne or its characters. But I do own the plot for this fic. I consider it a classic, to me anyway. That's why I like it so damn much.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews you guys! gah I was unable to post on thanksgivings! (extreme tears) but oh well as a token of my sincerestest apology I'm making this chappie extra long! Well, not EXTRA long but longer. It's somewhat dedicated to my sister though she doesn't know it lol

You know, I've learned a lot these past few months. Sometimes I take the time to reflect back on what I've written to see if my writing has changed drastically or not. I say it's changed a little, probably so little that you won't even notice it. But I noticed. I'm not quite sure what to make of it.

Now, enjoy readers of mine! I am anticipating we shall meet again, soon. Please review but I know you do anyway. lol

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**Chapter 16**

**A Dying Illusion**

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Dilandau watched as Hitomi and Merle left Van's room to let him rest. He saw the tender looks she gave him as she went through the door, and it made him flinch with a possessed will. The fat man left as well too, still sniffling pathetically.

"Poison, eh?" he said to Eni.

She nodded and smiled. "It's the most common one of all and yet Merle didn't try to use the antidote for it."

"What was it?"

"It's--" She was about to say it but stopped and said acidly, "I'm not going to tell you. You're going to run to Hitomi like a loyal little puppy and tell her. And she'll run over to that stupid cat and tell her and then Van will be all cured. And everybody's happy!"

He stiffened. Eni had hit a raw nerve. Why the hell did she have to say that for? Dilandau restrained the impulse to choke the life out of her. "Watch what you say, Eni. It may very well be your last."

She eyed him warily for a few seconds. "It's glarl juice mixed with poison berries."

"_That?_ It's weak stuff. The poison only lasts for a days at the most."

"It may be weak but its powerful. I think I may have given him too much though."

Was that guilt he heard in her voice? Guilt was never a problem for him. If Van died, it would kill the whole purpose for Dilandau. He wanted Van alive and strong to fight with and kill. "So, he will die?" he said slowly.

"I don't know."

He looked over at her and a small red mark graced her shoulder. "What happened to you?"

She abruptly covered the mark. "Nothing. Did you hear something?"

Dilandau hadn't heard anything. However, seconds later they both did. Someone was approaching from behind them.

"Hitomi, what are you doing out here? Is that . . . ?" asked Allen suspiciously, coming up from the hill. "Dilandau?"

Dilandau stifled a snicker. _This bastard can't even tell the difference._ Eni shot up and quickly closed the window with a soft _whoosh_. Dilandau slowly got up and faced Allen, whose face hardened at the sight of him.

"Hi, Allen. I didn't know you were there," she gushed in a breathless voice, obviously surprised.

"Allen," Dilandau acknowledged with a nod of the head. "I'm glad you're pleased to see me as well."

"I'm not," Allen returned sternly. "What are you doing here?"

A wolfish smile escaped his lips. "Why? Is my presence not welcomed here? It's a goddamn free country, Allen. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here."

Eni swiftly went over to Allen and hooked her arm around his, leading him away. "Didn't you say you wanted to show me something?"

"Show you something?" he asked distractedly as he glanced back at Dilandau. "I must talk to Dilan--"

"But you said you would!"

". . . I guess, if you really want me to . . . "

Eni led Allen further and further away until Dilandau no longer heard the echo of their voices ringing in his ears. His thoughts wandered to the hopeful Hitomi he had grown to favor. It drove him wild to see Hitomi show such concern for his adversary. And yet, when had he, Dilandau, ever been so weak as to think _love_ was desirable? _Love_, for gods sake! It was a fool's trap. When did he find her so tempting? So freaking alluring to his soldier senses? When did his desire for her begin anyway? Was it during the time he had visited her when she was trapped in the dark room?

"I don't like her . . ."

But did he?

He lingered restlessly around the palace for another hour or two before losing himself in the Fanelian forest. He lit a fire so huge, so vast he actually grew a little afraid of its wild whipping flames. Bigger and wider it grew, and in his fervor, he lost count of time. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. Dilandau had long ago cast away his armor. Clad now only in his blood stained shirt and black leather pants, he let the heat of the fire inflame his soul and feed his pyromaniac hunger. It was in this state that Hitomi found him.

"I've been looking for you," she said softly.

In the glow of the bright flames against the twinkling night, he thought she resembled the air of a goddess, now clad in a tiered dress. _I can't believe I once thought she was a boy, and _ugly And as if a light bulb lit up in his brain, he remembered the female uniform in his room. It had been Hitomi's, but how had it ended up in there? "You shouldn't have."

"You disappeared . . . I thought something happened."

"I'm fine. How is he?"

"Van? He's been asleep for a few hours. I-I want to thank you, for bringing me to Fanelia. I know you don't like Van, no, you _despise_ him, but I'm glad you did it anyway. How can you stand that heat?" Hitomi shielded her eyes from the untamed inferno.

Dilandau laughed and said dryly, "It's my best friend, Hitomi."

"I'm sorry, Dilandau."

"Hmm?"

"I forgot that your chest was injured. I should have made sure it was bandaged and cleaned."

He shrugged it off. "It's no big deal. It's just a small cut."

Hitomi looked at him, uncertain, but didn't say anything more. Suddenly, a blast of wind flew by them and it its place hovered a Guymelef. Dilandau's eyes lingered over the familiar craft of the mecha. _Jajuka._ Jajuka climbed down. "Dilandau, you must return to the empire at once."

"No, Jajuka. I will not."

"The general says he will lay off punishing you."

"He had thought to punish me?" Dilandau laughed wildly, and absently stroked his scar. "He's crazy. No man can lay a hand on me without my consent." Even as he said this, he knew that he had contradicted himself and silently cursed the world.

"Come with me, Dilandau. The Dragonslayers are not doing so well."

Could it be that they had grown dependent on him to guide them? "Not . . . doing . . . well?"

Jajuka nodded grimly. "Their skills have some what . . . deteriorated--for lack of better words. And their spirit--it too has gone. General Adelphos placed them under his command, but I'm afraid they do not hold respect for him as they do for you."

Dilandau rubbed his scar. _So, I am needed after all._ "I see. Very well. I'll go but if you dare to trap me I will strike back."

He ran into the forest and boarded Oreides and went back to meet up with Jajuka. He hadn't realized that the fire had gone out. He saw Hitomi's small figure down below and hoped that she wouldn't say anything because he was afraid that if she did, he might tell her how to cure the poison in Van's system. When she didn't, much to his utter relief, he turned to Jajuka. "Let's go."

* * *

As Hitomi made her way into town, a youngish gypsy in her thirties clad in draped satin of rich earth tones stopped her and asked if she wanted her fortune to be told. Hitomi shook her head and laughed softly, "Oh, no. I don't need to when I can tell me own."

"Oh?" uttered the gypsy with an awed look on her face. "Eet eez az the prophecy deeclares."

"Huh?"

"Come, come." The gypsy beckoned her to come inside her tent.

Hitomi peeked uncertainly inside. "Um, I don't know if I should."

But the gypsy just smiled and said, "Come. Eet eez for you to know."

"O-okay." Hitomi stepped inside and was made to sit on a thick Persyan carpet.

The gypsy sat across from her, the steady smile still there. "I am Izhalla. And you, you are Hitomi Kanzaki."

Hitomi started and as she opened her mouth to ask how she knew, the gypsy raised a hand to silence her. "My people have come from a long line ov gifted blood. My great-grandmathur had a veesion that a young girl who could teell fortunes vould come and issue peace on Gaea. I beelieve I have found you at last."

Hitomi had been told this already, but she didn't know others had known as well. "I know about the prophecy."

"So you do? Excellent. Then you do know that you vill die?"

Hitomi felt her heart stop and a chill came over her. _Die?_ Why hadn't the little white haired girl told her this? "No . . ."

A sad smile flitted across Izhalla's clear, penetrating eyes. "Ah, you have not been told. My great-grandmather saw her die in zee veesion. Eet vas trrageec--"

Hitomi's hand flew to her ears. "I don't want to hear it anymore. Please. I don't want to know."

"Eef that eez your vill, then so bee eet. You may leave."

Supressing the urge to fall and cry, Hitomi held herself together and walked out into the town street. Izhalla's great-grandmother could've been wrong. She couldn't die. She didn't want to die. _Her vision is wrong. It has to be._ Hitomi felt reassured as she kept repeating it in her mind. As she trudged through the dirt caked street, determined to set her mind straight, a large shadow fell over her. She stifled a frightened cry despite herself and turned around only to find Dilandau's guymelef hovering right behind her. Relief filled her like an overflowing well.

"Dilandau, I thought you left!" she yelled up to him.

"Glarl juice and berries!" he yelled back and was gone just like that. His guymelef shifted its gear and flew up into the sky and over the tall cliffs that protected the valley of Fanelia.

"Glarl juice and berries?" she muttered to herself, puzzled. "Does he want me to drink it?"

Hitomi slowly walked up the castle steps and tripped over one of the steps. Apparently, Izhalla's words were still on her mind. Hitomi returned to Van's room and her heart lifted, if only just a little, to see that he was awake. His face still looked pale and sickly.

"Hey," he said with droopy eyes and a lazy smile.

Hitomi had to stifle a laugh at the sight of his mad scientist hair. It looked as if a grade 4 hurricane had passed through it and left its devastation visually apparent. "How are you feeling?"

Van closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them, the colors of his eyes flushed with life. ". . . tired . . . And you?"

"I--I'm fine."

He peered closely at her, so closely that she squirmed under his gaze. "You're lying . . . Hitomi."

Darn, how did he always manage to know when she was lying or not? She bit her lip, trying to brainstorm a gall of lies. "I tripped over some steps and nearly fell to my death."

"Hmm. Clumsy." He sighed wearily. "It's hell lying here."

Hitomi stroked his hair. "Well, you'll know hell when you see me every day. For. The. Rest. Of. Your. Life."

He lifted his hand and brushed his fingers lightly against her face before letting it fall back on the bed. "So pale . . ."

"It's just your imagination, Van."

He laughed softly, and then groaned before bending over and vomiting thick chunky stuff on to the bed sheets. Hitomi reeled at the sight of its disgusting tannish-red mass. The smell was sour and pungent, horrifically stomach churning. He retched again and again and again. The veins in his neck bulged dangerously, as if it might burst. His hands groped around the bed sheets with such shaky intensity. Again, he vomited, making low painful sounds. Finally able to find the strength to rip herself from the awful sight, Hitomi ran to fetch Merle, who was the only person who might be able to help him.

Merle came running at an astonishing speed and knelt by his side, placing a supporting hand against his back. His vomiting had subsided, but he was trembling from head to toe. His wild hair was damp and matted against his forehead. "Breathe, Van."

He slowly looked at her and managed to nod. Tears stained his pale, yellow face and his eyes were rooted with red veins. He gagged once more, spewing mucilaginous substances across the bed. His eyes rolled back until only the white parts could be seen, and he shuddered once before falling back unconscious.

Hitomi grabbed a towel and handed it to Merle, who wiped the vomit from his mouth and hands. "Help me, Hitomi. Take these sheets and put them in the laundry. The servants will clean them. And bring back clean ones. Bring a bucket of water and a sponge if you can."

She nodded and let Merle monitor him. Perhaps the juice Dilandau mentioned earlier would make him feel better. She remembered vaguely a long while ago that Van had used glarl paste as a salve for his wound. If glarl paste was safe enough for that then its juice was no problem and probably safe enough to drink. It had seemed unreal--that memory. She couldn't believe she had once lived on Gaea for a year and had known how to somewhat expertly wield a sword and use it. All that was before Van had kidnapped her. It was all for a stupid ransom of $100,000 dollars. But in then end, he had only wanted Merle.

Hitomi didn't know him then. She had thought him to be incredibly cold and reserved. But the young man she now saw held no trace of that untouchable air. In fact, he looked vulnerable asleep like that, which surprised her a little. She was so used to seeing him guarded and armed with respect and authority. After all, he was king. Who was running the kingdom now? What did Van do anyway? She never actually saw him "do" anything a king normally did . . . she reached the pantry and dumped the dirty sheets inside it, before continuing on with her train of thought.

First all, he always seemed as if he had time on his hands to do things (especially to aggravate her to the utmost degree). Second, she never saw him sign documents verifying this and that, benefiting his kingdom. Third, he wore no crown nor was he clothed appropriately (he always wore that blasted red shirt and tan pants, even now he was wearing them). Where were the fine silks and velvets? And lastly, did it never occur to him that he should associate with his people? Inquire after their living and improve the kingdom? She crossed to the cupboard and grabbed several new bed sheets.

Perhaps, that was what the advisers did for him and all he had to do was give his consent and what not. Hitomi found a large bucket and let it fill up with water from the sink as she went in search for a bath sponge. Having found it, she gathered the sheets, bucket, and some fresheners to ease the stench of vomit in the room and went upstairs. Merle was inside the bathroom, cleaning herself off.

"Can you spread the new sheets and rinse Van?" Merle asked. Her eyes began to fill up and she continued in a shaky voice, "I need to find that damn antidote. I'm afraid he's dying."

_No . . . _She didn't want him to die. Hitomi sucked in a deep breath and consented. "He'll be fine, Merle. Van's strong enough to survive."

"I hope so," came Merle's hopeless voice. She left to work on finding the antidote.

Hitomi went over to Van and used the soaked sponge to gingerly wipe his sweaty face clean. His eyelids fluttered at the warm touch of Hitomi's fingers on his face. She whispered to him, "How am I going to wash you?"

She thought she saw a perverted smile on his face but it was gone after she blinked. It had probably been her imagination at work. Hitomi held the clean linen in her hand, pondering how to spread it out on the bed with Van lying like a dead log on it. She let it drop back down with the other piles and decided to clean him off first.

Trying to take his shirt off without perpetually strangling him any more than she had to, she managed to pull it over his head. After sponging his upper body (Hitomi felt there was no need to take off his pants and clean his legs), she succeeded in spreading the linen under him with much sweat and teeth clenching. She wrapped him up nice and warm and dumped out the water from the bucket. She then sat watching by the window.

In any case, what kind of berries was she supposed to use? Hitomi decided to seek Merle's expertise, who was no where to be found. Giving up, she decided to make the juice herself and use any berry juice she could find. Strangely, she found the lid on the glarl juice glass half unscrewed. Conveniently next to it was a bottle labeled berry extracts. She poured the two together into a glass and watched with fascination as the colors swirled to form a deep violet, lightening to clear.

Merle finally showed up and crept up behind her to peer at what she was making. And then seeing, she asked in a suspicious voice. "What are you making?"

"A drink for Van. To make him feel better."

"What's in it?" with more suspicion.

"Glarl juice and berry extracts."

Merle snatched the glass from Hitomi's hand and flushed its contents down the kitchen drain. "Don't you know glarl juice is toxic when mixed with other substances? What were you thinking? Lord Van could've died! Who told you to go mix these anyway?"

"I-I . . ." She couldn't bring herself to say Dilandau's name. It would only increase Merle's dislike for him, and she may accuse him of poisoning Van. Why had Dilandau yelled the ingredients to her? Did he want her to make it and kill Van for him? He did rather have an intense look about him when she found him in the forest. But deep down, he was good . . . right? He had saved her so that made him good . . . right? Right? "I thought since glarl paste had healing purposes . . ."

Merle suddenly grabbed Hitomi's head and crushed it against her bosom. "I'm so sorry, Hitomi, you didn't know. I've been so high strung these last few stupid days. I've been trying to find evidence against that ugly imposter but it always backfires. And Lord Van getting sick, gah! I can't handle it."

"Don't you think it's weird how she never showed up while I've been here?"

Merle's tail swished to the side. "Yea."

"It almost makes you uncertain if there were ever two of us at all." At this, Merle looked at her strangely. Hitomi quickly added, "I'm just saying."

"Ah hah! I know what the antidote is!"

"You do?"

"The glarl juice! And-and the berries! The berries contain catalysts!" She began whacking her forehead on the counter. "I'm so stupid! It was right there in front of me all this time. It was so simple!"

Hitomi watched as Merle continued to rant on like this for the next five minutes. She went to and fro exclaiming things that sounded gibberish to Hitomi. "Are you okay . . . ?"

"Of course I am, woman!" Merle grabbed the glarl juice container and ran up the stairs in a highly barbaric fashion. Hitomi did so as well, wondering what it the world Merle was up to.

Hitomi reached the top floor just in time to see Merle fling the door open with all the vigor of a giant and dash in, holding the container in a hazardous way and bellowing, even though she was right next to him, **"Van! I've got the antidote!"**

Van jolted awake at the sound of her powerful voice and scowled, growling in a hoarse voice, "No need to shout."

"Van," she said excitedly. "I've got it. You're going to be cured!"

He smiled faintly. "Good."

Merle poured the glarl juice into a cup and forced the substance down his throat. At first, he gagged. Hitomi was afraid he was going to throw up again, but he kept on gulping the liquid down. Van lay down again and closed his eyes, apparently still weak from the regergitating incident.

"Let's give him some peace and quiet," whispered Merle, who missed the look Hitomi gave her. She and Hitomi quietly left the room and shut the door behind them.

Hitomi found Allen waiting for her down in the parlor. "Hitomi, I've been looking for you. You asked me to show you something but then you disappeared."

_I did?_ Hitomi looked over at Merle, who shrugged. "Uh, I must've forgotten . . ."

"Well, since I've found you, let's go now."

"Okay."

Allen grabbed her by the hand and hurried down a flight of stairs and into a large vacant room. At least she thought it was vacant until she saw a massive humanoid mecha sitting majestically on its royal incrested throne. She had seen it once before. It was the legendary Escaflowne, the rare and powerful Ispano guymelef. Van was piloting it at the time and it was the first time she had ever seen a guymelef.

"Here, I want you to see this." Allen pointed to the red gem on its breast. It was glowing rhythmically. "It's been doing that since mid-morning."

She didn't exactly see what was so important about that. Hitomi climbed up the ladder until she reached the glowing gem and stared curiously at it. It was keeping in perfect time to the beating of her heart. How strange something so different should respond to her heart. Its smooth, slow blinking pulled at her. Her hand reached up and touched the surface of the glassy jewel-like stone. She could see a round thing inside this red gem. She nearly fell off the ladder when her finger tips were able to penetrate its surface. It felt like jelly, and sounded like jelly.

"What's happening, Hitomi?" called Allen from down below.

Hitomi half turned her head and half kept it faced toward the guymelef. "I don't know. I . . ."

Her hand was sucked deeper into the now partially liquefied gem until her fingers touched the round object. Photographic images pervaded her mind. She first saw a younger Van, perhaps only younger in wisdom and virtue, quickly slit his thumb, letting his blood drop onto the round thing that, Hitomi concluded, was to activate Escaflowne.

She caught a glimpse of a spilt liquid across Escaflowne's red energist and saw it absorbing the substance. Another flash and she saw the gem reacting to it, turning a violent blood red. An image of Van sprawled on the floor, gasping painfully, flitted across her vision. An instinctive feeling told her these three images were linked to one another.

Hitomi tried to pull her hand from the gem but it clung to her skin. "Let me go, Escaflowne."

Still, it did not let go.

"Allen!"

"What's wrong?"

"My hand, it's stuck inside the gem. It won't let go."

Allen's face was knotted with worry. "I'll go get help. Stay where you are and don't move."

As he turned to leave, his long, beautiful, tangle-free hair swaying from side to side, Hitomi was suddenly reminded of Dilandau. What had caused her to think this? She sighed and waited impatiently for him to return with the help he promised. She heard a scuffle and instantly jerked her head in the direction that it had come from.

"You're just like me, Hitomi," rang a soft voice.

Hitomi looked over the rail and saw a figure with scraggy hair and dirty skin approach her. There was no doubt about it. That person was Eni. Hitomi made an attempt to greet her but remembered that her hand was still inside the gem. "Eni! You made it back. Safely, I hope?"

"Of course I did," she scoffed.

Hitomi couldn't understand this brush off. "Did they hurt you?"

"No."

She gave a relieved sigh. "That's good."

"It's amazing, Hitomi, how much an excellent cleaning can do for the soul."

"Uh, yea. How did you escape?"

Eni strolled over to Escaflowne and clambered up the ladders, standing now before Hitomi with an indescribable look plastered on her sooty face. "I wonder what would happen if I washed myself right now? How different would I appear to you?"

"You would still look like Eni," replied Hitomi, very much confused as to what Eni was leading at. "How'd you escape, Eni?"

Again, ignoring her, Eni continued her ramble. "I have here in my hand a bar of soap and a sponge. Here, by my feet is a bucket of warm water. Watch as I am cleansed and transformed."

Hitomi felt slightly perturbed by this, but looked on with increasing interest as Eni scrubbed her face and washed her hair. As the dirt began to come off, Hitomi was surprised to see the amazing difference. Eni's hair, now combed and neat, resembled her own hair. And on closer inspection, Hitomi noticed again the color of Eni's eyes matching to that of her own as well. Now that Hitomi had a better look at her, Eni was her twin. Slowly, a sick feeling of horror arose in her.

"We--"

"Yes, yes, we do, don't we?" Eni answered for Hitomi.

"It was _you_ all this time. _You!_ I never realized . . . you were disguised so well. And no one ever knew . . ." Hitomi didn't realize that the red energist had let go of her hand. "Why would you do that?"

Eni laughed bitterly. "Why? Simply because my life was at stake. Why do you think I worked so hard to keep low? Why do you think I let myself look, much less live, like this?"

"What about Van? You risked his life so you could save your own?"

"I did what I had to. It was all an act, Hitomi."

The words _it was all an act_ rang through Hitomi's mind. Dilandau had said the very same thing when the whole scheme on Vione was revealed to her. Folken had thought she would never retain those memories and had told her almost everything. It was as if history was repeating itself, only this time the circumstances had changed. However, she was still the victim.

"Is this part of their plan as well?" Hitomi asked coldly.

"What plan? The plan was mutilated when Dilandau so stupidly rescued you. Everything that was planned out from the very beginning went to waste. Emperor Dornkirk needed you safely stowed away on Vione while I was to wreak havoc here. I had almost succeeded but strange interferences kept delaying the goals I was to meet. It never occurred to me that you would return. But, at last, you have. Which brings me to another point." Eni's once gentle face suddenly grew harsh and sharp. She carefully took off her outer clothes, revealing a deep violent red dress underneath.

Hitomi was appalled with the realization that Eni was not the person she had thought her to be. It was as if her fate was to be endlessly deceived by those she had grown to trust. And that realization hurt.

Eni continued, "I envy you, Hitomi. You have the gift to tell the fortune of others. Why not tell me mine?"

Hitomi shook her head. "No, I don't want to."

"Why not?"

Hitomi brought her eyes up to Eni's and found them boring intensely into her own. It was wrong to interfere with the flow of fate. It deemed hazardous to those who knew their own fates. Just like Yukari. Yukari had once asked Hitomi to read her fortune. Hitomi had obligingly agreed and when she had laid down the tarot cards, her eyes widened at the cards La Veggente and Il Guidizio. The Magician and Judgement.

Hitomi had known that the tides of fate had turned and Amano would not become Yukari's lover. La Veggente, the Magician, forsworn that Amano would leave Japan soon. Il Guidiziao, Judgement, ruled that Judgement had his way and would keep the two apart. Yukari had been devastated, though she had tried to hide it, and her mood fluctuated constantly when she saw Amano conversing with another girl. In other words, she became obsessive, fearing that she would never see him again after he left.

Others had asked as well, the result always being something devastating. People always believed that their fortune was always good, never bad. They never realized that Hitomi was only translating what the cards had set for them. And the cards had a tendency to be exceedingly accurate. Not one fortune Hitomi had told ever failed, and this frightened her.

"I'm sorry. I can't."

Eni stepped closer to Hitomi and grabbed her by the arms. "You're afraid, aren't you."

Hitomi did not reply.

Eni scoffed and stuffed the tarot cards into Hitomi's hands. "I'm asking you to do it for _me_. What is there to be afraid of?"

Hitomi stared at the cards for a moment. How had Eni gotten a hold of them? "You're sure?"

"Yes." A gleam passed over her eyes.

Hitomi took a deep breath and knelt down, beckoning Eni to do the same. She shuffled the card twice and lifted the first card off the deck and set it face up on the floor. She placed the second card next to the first and so on and so on until she had five cards. Three on top and two in between the spaces of the first three. As Hitomi's eyes pored over the cards, analyzing each, her heart pounded like a jackhammer at the results. Her heart strickened at the last card. What did it all mean?

Eni interrupted the silence. "What does it say?"

For a moment, Hitomi kept silent, thinking. Then, she took another deep breath and looked up at Eni. Pointing to each of the cards in the order she had removed them from the deck, she repeated their names. "La Giustizia, the card of Justice. Il Pazzo, the Fool. Il Papessa, the High Priestess. La Torre, the Tower. And finally, La Morte, the keeper of Death."

Eni paled for a split second and then much to Hitomi's surprise, she laughed sharply. "What a load of bull shit. There's no way I'm going to die. Is that all it says?"

Hitomi continued the reading. "La Giustizia signifies a righteousness that will be done. It should be something that you had done. Il Pazzo says you will discover a new path in your destiny and your eyes will be opened to a deed you had commited. Il Papessa, I think, is you. The High Priestess, as the card shows, is the queen of deception. The way her body is position tells you that she is cold woman, but not without sympathy. Her sceptor wields endless clouds of lies."

"So you think I will receive my punishment?" Eni asked, oblivious to the fact that Hitomi's reading had caught hold of her attention.

"Hold on, there's more. La Torre, in your case, I'm not really sure what it means. La Torre is usually paired up with La Temperanza, together meaning that the will of a person, his or her temperance, is the foundation of one's soul. Or in easier terms, it means that you are an individual with integrity and virtue. But you don't have La Temperanza. And La Morte, the card has decided already that death will be involved in your lifetime. Who's death, I don't know." Hitomi's voice trembled slightly. She still remembered the haunting words the gypsy had uttered.

"I believe that it is you, who is going to die," said Eni resolutely.

Hitomi remained silent.

She continued. "Do you want to know how I know?" At this, she pulled a long silver dagger from her boots and held it loftily in her hand. In a soft, remote voice, Eni said, "There can only be one of us, Hitomi."

* * *

"So, they have met," a deep voice in the heart of the Zaibach Empire rumbled. It belonged to a wizened old man withlong silky white hair that curled frivolously at the ends.Before him, stood an army of elite Zaibach soldiers, among them, Dilandau Albatou. "Let the games begin."

* * *

A/N: Wow, it's raining right now! How prettiful. Yay I finished chapter 16, and I promised it was going to be longer and it is! Though, I'm sorry it took so long to update!


	17. Illicit Passing

**Disclaimer:** Escaflowne is the property of Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment. I do not own Escaflowne or its characters, though I wish I did.

A/N: my goooooodness this week was HORRIBLE. but thank you all forreviewing. itcheered me up a little.anywayit's been 2 weeks since i last updated. It didn't feel that long though. I had writer's block for nearly a week and i thought i wouldn't be able to post this chapter. Well, never mind my pointless ramblings. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 17**

**Illicit Passing**

**

* * *

**

_This was what Izhalla's great-grandmother must've seen. I'm going to die this very moment by someone I thought I knew. Someone I had trusted._ Hitomi crushed down a rising wave of apprehension. She kept her eyes on the dagger in Eni's outstretched arm. "You don't have to kill me, Eni."

"Oh, but I must, Hitomi. It can't be helped." Eni made to strike Hitomi but suddenly withdrew as it came within in inch of her face. A disturbing, delighted look lit Eni's face. "It's overwhelming to see you tremble."

Hitomi's heart pounded rapidly, as if it might burst any minute. "There's no need for violence! We can work things out."

"Look at you," she scorned. "Always ready to look on the bright side. Did it never occur to you that things don't always work that way?"

"It's never too late to hope," Hitomi said softly.

"Come with me then, Hitomi, if you refuse death. Emperor Dornkirk would treat you well. We can do so much, you and I. You have a great power that could be used on everyone."

"I don't want to hurt people."

"You don't have to."

"It's wrong to interfere with fate."

Eni made a frustrated sound. "Why do you have to be so difficult!"

She suddenly lunged at Hitomi, letting out a shrill cry as she did so. Hitomi dodged the dagger with difficulty and ran down the ladder. She could hear Eni's pounding footsteps running after her. Hitomi flew past a guard, who started in alarm but presently resumed his position. She heard him utter a surprise as Eni rushed by him too. _How am I going to explain this to everyone? Who would they believe?_

Hitomi ran down one hallway only to find herself in another. Eventually, she lost herself in the Fanelian palace. But on the plus side, Eni would be lost as well. Hitomi quickly opened a door and went inside and passed through the room to another door that opened to another hallway. For a moment, a fleeting thought passed her mind that Eni would be waiting for her the moment she opened the door. Luckily, Eni wasn't there.

She heard a slam and knew Eni had entered some room. She didn't know which one. Without thinking, Hitomi continued running down the hallway. She passed several murals that seemed to be mocking her. Her side ached now. She would have to stop and rest soon.

Just when she felt she couldn't run anymore, she ran into a hard chest and fell on her back. It was deja vu all over again. She once had this same encounter before when Merle had stolen her necklace. She had crashed into Van. She felt her heart beat faster as she slowly raised her eyes. It was as if a light had perforated her vision. She now saw the very same person she had once collided into.

"Hitomi," breathed Van, as he leaned against the wall for support. "I heard what happened from one of my men. Explain to me, Hitomi, why Eni was chasing you with a knife in her hands?"

Hitomi looked up in surprise. "So now you know that there were two of us?"

Van nodded. "It took me a while to figure out. I didn't want to believe it then because I really thought she was you at the time."

"I was confused too. I thought she had taken over my body and was using it to do evil things. To put a bad name on me. But really, I was trapped inside a pitch black room."

"Where did they take you? The kidnappers?"

Hitomi told him, but left out Dilandau. She knew the two did not clash well together and the mention of his name would only make things worse. "I was on Vione all that time and never once saw the sun."

"That explains why you're so pale. I wasn't _imagining_ it after all," Van said thoughtfully as he pressed his fingers to her face.

"You're supposed to be resting, Van."

"I know that."

"Then why are you out of bed? You're too weak to be standing up right now." Try as she might, she couldn't keep the worry from her voice. She went over to him and placed her arm under his to support him and brought his arm around her neck. He leaned gratefully against her, his ruffian hair mingling with hers.

She felt a new feeling surge through her as she heard him breathing in her scent. A moment later he mumbled in her ear, "You smell like you again, Hitomi."

Hitomi was glad he could tell the difference between her and Eni. It still angered her that Eni had stolen him from her, kissing and seducing him. It came as a shock to her that she should feel so strongly about Van. Her skin tingled with this realization. But what a time to feel romantic.

"How are you feeling, Van?"

He tossed her a sloppy grin. "Pathetically weak."

She nodded. "It's not safe here. Eni's coming after me."

"I know."

"Leave me, Van. Until I know it's safe."

"No," he said softly yet firmly. He straightened up and held her by the shoulders. For a time, Hitomi did not know how long, he gazed intently into her eyes. She tried to look away but he didn't let her. Finally, he stood back and grabbed her hand. "Let's go."

Hitomi had to admire his stamina. Even weak as he was he was willing to help her. She wondered how much vigilance he had and how much was left in him. "I don't know where she is. She could be anywhere."

Van began walking at a surprisingly quick pace when he was so weak before. He led her along an unfamiliar hallway and turned toward a dark, damp corridor. Van opened a trap door inside a very well hidden wall. Hitomi felt a sense of fear rise up in her. This darkness felt so familiar to that of the dark room she had been in on Vione. It brought back the loneliness she had felt. Van must have felt her reluctance to enter it because he turned to her.

"It's not going to be a long way. We only have to be in it for less than a minute and then we're out. You can close your eyes and I'll lead you."

"It's not that I'm afraid of the dark," she began. How could she make him understand? "It's hard to explain."

"You can tell me later when we have time." He held out his hand for her and she took it, squeezing it gently. They passed through the dark corridor and when they reached the other side, Hitomi was shocked to find that she was in Van's private hallway.

Van turned to her and grinned. "This is a secret passage Merle and I found when we were little. No one's ever been able to find it. So I think we're safe from Eni for a while. I'll have my men assemble and look for Eni while I get you some where secure."

"I can take care of myself," she said defiantly.

He gave her a prodding look. "Moments ago you were as vulnerable as a baby lamb. What makes you think you can?"

Her face heated up in anger. _Who was he to judge her?_ "It was only a passing moment. You don't _know_ me."

"It's for your protection. I don't want to have to worry about you."

"Then don't," she said curtly.

A faint hurt look passed over his face. "I only thought—aaagh."

Van bent over and pressed his hands to his temples. It took less than a second for Hitomi's guilt to bend her to its will. She peered anxiously at him, afraid he would fall sick again. Suddenly, Hitomi heard the distinct ripping sound of Van's shirt and there before her, in all its dignified glory, was Van's cherished wings. The hallway was much too small to house his wings and they thumped heavily against the walls.

Van staggered into Hitomi, hands still clutching his head. They both fell. Just as suddenly as they appeared, his wings dispersed, leaving behind hundreds of glowing feathers. Van looked up at Hitomi very confused at first but gradually regained his usual countenance.

"I remember things I don't remember," he said very quietly a moment later. He sat up and leaned close against her. Hitomi blushed as her hands accidentally brushed his hard, tan stomach. Butterflies violently flew inside her stomach. She was not used to being so close to him, so close she could feel his warmth and smell his unique scent. A remnant of his shirt lay on her leg.

Nervously, she asked him, "What did you remember?"

"It's very vague right now, but I know I kidnapped you for some reason . . . I think to get Merle back. I remember how much you seemed to hate me, and I remember that I wasn't very nice to you. But you willingly helped me find Vione and was exchanged for Merle. After that, the days passed normally until there was a brief lapse in my memory. A day or two must've passed and I found you again, but that time I didn't recognize you. I was made to believe I had never met or even seen you before." Van fell silent.

"If it makes you feel any better, I remember too," she said softly. _What was going on? First, Dilandau and now Van._ They had both been in contact with her . . . Was she triggering these dormant memories? Was Folken going to be next to remember? And Merle? Who else?

"If I had known you then I wouldn't have done it."

She looked over at him. "You were so different . . . back then. It's hard to imagine that you're one and the same."

She felt him stiffen a little. "Let's go."

Van got up and waited for Hitomi to follow him before heading towards Escaflowne's storage. He seemed weakened again.

Hitomi caught his arm. "I think you should rest now before you over exert yourself. Your body can only tolerate so much."

He shook his hand free. "I'm fine."

She faltered as the large figure of Escaflowne came into view. "Van, you used your blood to seal a pact with Escaflowne."

"How'd you know?"

"I saw it in a vision."

"You have visions now?"

"Yea . . ."

Van looked concernedly at her. "What else have you seen?"

"Just that," she said evasively. She didn't want to mention the premonition of her death to him. He had enough to worry as it was.

"Now that I think about it, I feel like I desperately need a nap," he laughed. Hitomi saw the strain on his face as his pride kept him standing.

She didn't know whether to injure his pride or not. "I can carry you to your room."

"No, I'm fine."

"No you're not."

"Yes I _am_."

"Van! Look at you. If I push you with the tip of my finger you'll easily topple over."

Van scowled. "You're underestimating me."

"I wouldn't if you weren't sick."

He sighed and gave in. "Don't tell anyone or I'll torture you until the day you die of an extremely old age."

Hitomi nodded and grunted as he climbed on her back. Wrapping her arms around each leg, she slowly walked toward his room, which wasn't very far, and went inside. She waited until he slid off her back and plopped on to his mattress. Within seconds he was asleep, snoring softly. The repetitive sound made her eyes droop and she settled onto a couch.

When she woke up, she discovered with shock that she had been tied to a chair. Her mouth was gagged. A shuffle of clothes brought her attention to Eni's self-possessing figure. Sitting before her was Van bound and gagged as well. At his throat was a long silver dagger.

_No._ How did she ever manage to get herself into these situations? When will it end and she able to find peace again?

Eni smiled sardonically at them and whispered in a raged voice. "You thought you could escape from me, Hitomi. I couldn't believe my luck when I found you asleep and defenseless. And even better, Van was with you as well."

"Van doesn't have anything to do with this!" Hitomi cried but her words were muffled by the gag. What _did_ Eni want with him anyway?

A scornful laugh came from Eni's lips. She bent down and planted a kiss on Van's face, her smile increasing as Hitomi watched with anger. Van seemed torn between the sheer likeness she and Eni shared.

Holding firm the dagger in her hands, Eni stalked over to Hitomi and breathed in her face, "How does it feel Hitomi? This is only a taste of what I have suffered. It would take years to feel what I've felt."

It came to Hitomi as a surprise when a large tear drop rolled down Eni's fine cheek. However, the fire was still eminent in her eyes. Eni continued in a fierce but trembling voice. "I don't know who I am . . . I have no memories. When I was sent to find you, I thought I would be able to find something about myself but you hardly even knew what was going on around you. Supposedly you had a power the Emperor was seeking, but I couldn't see it."

The dagger now hung loosely from her fingers and her voice had dropped. "But now, I don't see a point in turning you in. The whole scheme is ruined because you escaped."

She wiped the tears from her eyes. The dagger fell with a dull clatter on the tiled floor. Hitomi wondered what caused such a fluctuation in Eni's emotions. She had been so bent on killing Hitomi before. What changed? "I . . . I was so jealous of you. You fit in well with everyone, something I couldn't do. You made it easy for me to deceive everyone. They _trusted_ you."

Hitomi's dislike was now replaced by pity. She had a feeling Eni's intentions hadn't been of her own but rather the will of someone's—Emperor Dornkirk. Eni gave a sad sigh. She leaned down and kissed Hitomi on the forehead. Once again, Hitomi was pulled into another vision. She had been getting them so frequently.

This time it was of Eni's past. It was a dark evening. Hitomi saw the tall lanky figure of what looked to be a female running away from something or someone. The woman, in her haste, tripped over an overgrown stump and fell flat on the ground. Fear was written all over her face as she looked behind her. A Zaibach guymelef flew over her and extend its tentacle-like claws, grappling her like a mere toy. Hitomi saw a strange gleam and saw that it came from the woman's eyes. Only one other time had she seen that gleam and it was from the doppelganger Zongi. The woman was one as well. That would explain her tall, long limbed frame.

The scene switched to a glowing surgical room. The woman/doppelganger was lying on a steel platform, arms and legs strapped down. Several men in dark flowing robes stood at podiums, monitoring her vital signs. They seemed to be scientists. A single man approached the woman, who began struggling as soon as she saw him. He had a large pointed needle with segregated fluids, one what looked to be blood and the other a greenish substance, and placed it purposefully on a tray containing other surgical materials.

The woman whimpered loudly and threw herself as far away from the needle as her restraints would go. The man's face was expressionless as he stiffly slapped on a pair of creamy ivory gloves. He looked up at the other men, who all nodded for the operation to begin. The man lifted a scalpel and cut a deep slit in the woman's arm. Blood splattered onto the man's shirt and face. She screamed as the man inserted the thick needle point into the cut and squeezed all the liquid into her vein. Her scream was cut short. As her blood fused with the deadly fluid, all her veins and arteries began to glow an eerie blue. Her eyes betrayed the horror she felt. She groaned and writhed as if tortured as her body began to take the shape of another person.

The men around her were absorbed in the experiment. Their eyes were fixed intently on the woman. Hitomi was revolted by the mounting excitement in their faces. The woman's gleaming bright green eyes changed into Hitomi's own eye shape. The rest of the woman's body soon became identical to Hitomi's. The woman then fell unconsious because her body had overexerted itself through the chemical changes.

Hitomi felt sickened at this sort of inhuman procedure.

A time passed and Hitomi was taken to the chamber where her identical being was resting. The same man who had injected the serum into the doppelganger was outside of her room and discussing something with Folken.

"So you believe the doppelganger will remain permanently in this new form?" asked Folken.

The man nodded, pleased with himself. "The results are astonishing."

They entered the room and Hitomi saw her cloned self looking curiously around her. _She must be Eni . . . _Folken walked over to her.

"How are you feeling?"

Eni took in Folken's profile before answering. "I'm fine but where am I? How did I get here?"

The other man eagerly stepped in. "We found you unconscious under a cliff and brought you here. You don't remember?"

"No."

"Do you remember anything at all?"

"No."

"Do you remember your twin sister? Hitomi?"

"Hitomi . . . ?" Again, she shook her head.

"You kept mumbling about her, that she was your twin and you had to find her. Well, while we waited for you to wake up we went ahead and looked for her ourselves and we found her, Eni."

"Eni? Is that my name?"

The man shook his head. "I'm sorry we were unable to get anything else from you so we gave you a name instead."

Eni nodded slowly. "When can I see her?"

"You must recover first. And then you need to train with us so you can face the dangers outside of this sanctuary. When you're ready, you'll see her. But you must be disguised."

"Why?"

"Your safety will be at risk."

Quick glimpses of the weeks Eni spent training went by until she was deemed ready. Dilandau flew her down to Fanelia and there she remained disguised as a servant in the Fanelian palace.

The vision faded.

Eni pulled back, a look of absolute horror and disbelief on her face. Without a word she dashed out of the room and the door slammed shut behind her. Van's face was contorted with confusion but Hitomi shrugged, pretending she didn't know.

Hitomi stared at the door. _Eni, take care of yourself._

_

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A/N: Gah! I know this chapter was short but I have good news.

**FINALLY!** MY OWN COMPUTER! I have redeemed myself at last as an author (weeps perpetually) you have no idea how happy it makes me but too bad i cant play games on it! Anyway chapters should be posted quite frequently from now on, unless schoolwork interferes. The chapters may end up being shorter, I'm not sure. We shall see!

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	18. Tender Lullaby

**Disclaimer: **Escaflowne is the property of Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment. I do not own Escaflowne or its characters.

A/N: Thank you for reviewing! I know it takes time to review and I appreciate that you do take the time to do it. Since it's Christmas and all, I decided to make this chapter a little more special!

I know I haven't been doing much VH scenes and I'm not good at fluff and all that crap so if it's extremely crappy, don't hate me! Hahah I tried my best and plus got some tips from other stories i've read. Just to let you know I don't do lemon! I suck at it. I'm better at the subtle stuff if you get my drift.

Hahha well enjoy, readers of mine!

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**Chapter 18**

**Tender Lullaby**

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Soldier. That was all he was. Void of emotions, rippling with muscles, no questions. It didn't take a genius to know how to fight, but it required more than the brains of one to perfect the technique. It required endurance, patience, and knowledge of one's own strength. And even that was not enough. Dilandau ran the tip of his blade along the stone floor. Sparks flew from his sword.

Words could not explain the feeling he felt whenever he fought. It was as if he was driven by some inner desire to inflict damage on anything and anyone. And it didn't stop until it was satisfied. It was sort of the same way he felt about setting things on fire. But with flames, there was nothing more magnificent than the wild flickering whips of its hot tendrils.

With a flick of his arm, he jammed the sword back into its sheath. The familiarity of the weight dragging down his belt gave him a satisfied glee. He couldn't explain why and given years he would still not be able to.

Chesta was in his room when Dilandau entered. He had been napping but instantly woke up as soon as he was aware that it was Dilandau. He rubbed his eyes and stifled a yawn. "Uh, hello, sir!"

A smirk appeared on Dilandau's face. "I'm glad to see you're doing something productive."

"I was just laying down my head, sir."

"Go back to bed, Chesta. I just came to check up on you."

Chesta's eyes widened as if he couldn't believe his ears. "Really?"

"Yes, really. Now do it before I change my mind."

Dilandau left a highly relieved Chesta and ran into Folken, who seemed a little distracted. Folken grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into a dark corner. "Did they do anything to you?"

Dilandau smacked Folken's hand off his arm. "What the hell are you talking about?"

A line of apprehension appeared on Folken's usually calm forehead. "The Madoushi scientists, did they do anything to you?"

"No . . . why would they?"

"I was afraid of that." He paused for a moment. "I need you to cover for me, Dilandau. I'll only be gone for a couple of days."

"Where are you going?"

"Somewhere. If I don't make it back before the week is up, I would appreciate it if you come find me."

"How the hell do you expect me to look for you when I don't even know where you're going?" Dilandau's ruby red eyes blazed with a fierce fire.

"Don't worry. I will leave clues for you."

"Well, that's very smart of you, Folken. But that would mean anyone will be able to follow you."

"That will not happen. I will make sure of it."

"And if someone should follow me?"

"Dilandau, we do not have time for this. This is an urgent errand I am making. Tell no one of this." Folken waited for several minutes and hurried away, leaving Dilandau feeling very perplexed.

"Folken, what the bloody hell are you doing?" he murmured before strolling into the garden. He would never admit it but he always found it intriguing to gaze at the delicate flowers. With just a stamp his feet, a dozen poppies or lilies could die.

But only a drop of flame was needed to destroy the entire garden. The years of tender care would be thrown away just like that. He had never tried it though, and never would.

That night he dreamed a horrible nightmare. He was being chased by that blasted Reinse. His skin was itching and when he looked down, his skin was raw and peeling. Huge boils ballooned on his arms. One popped, splattering thick sticky stuff. He gagged. His greatest fear was unleashed.

He had no desire to suffer inhuman experiments. Reinse could go to hell for all he cared. But as hard as he tried, he could never get more than a few feet ahead of the scientist. He quickly glanced back and caught the shiny gleam of a well sharpened scalpel. Reinse flung it at Dilandau and the cool, sharp metal embedded itself into Dilandau's shoulder. And somehow, his arm was chopped off. He screamed.

Dilandau woke up sweaty and nauseated. _Gods, I can't live like this._

_

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_

Van and Hitomi were left to themselves with no one to untie their roped hands and legs. And no one to remove the gags from their mouths. Hitomi sat frustrated, wanting to talk to Van. A silly idea came to her head and she tried to reach Van's mind. She was concentrated so hard on it that she didn't realize her face was turning purple and Van was staring at her strangely.

Finally, she gave up. _I wish I could talk to you, Van._

Van's head perked up and an uncertain look came on his face. _Hitomi?_

_Van?_

_Hitomi, this is creepy._

_Yes, it is. Wait, what do you mean creepy? You don't like hearing my thoughts?_

_I do, it just feels so much more intimate. How'd it happen? How are we able to communicate like this?_

_. . . I don't know. It just sort of _happened

A funny smile came on Van's face. _I can tell what you're thinking right now._

_And what am I thinking?_

_You're thinking about me._

_You are so conceited, Van. I don't think things like that._

_You just did it again!_

Hitomi blushed. _Well, I'm not the only one. You were thinking about kissing me._

_Of course I was. You just wait until we're alone._

_Van, you pervert._

Van grinned through his gagged mouth. Despite herself, Hitomi found herself laughing. They passed the time talking to each other through their thoughts until someone finally came to their rescue. Allen burst through the door with his sword ready. Their mental connection was severed and Hitomi couldn't connect it again. Hitomi felt much closer to Van, spiritually and physically.

Allen looked around for any lurking suspects and upon finding none, settled on cutting the ropes that bound Van and Hitomi's body. Once they were free, Allen began questioning them.

"Who did this to you?"

Hitomi didn't say anything, feeling doubtful about Eni.

"I'm . . . not sure," Van lied as he saw Hitomi's pleading eyes. "I was unable to see their face."

"Hmm. After I went to get help for you, Hitomi, there was a sudden commotion going on about another girl that looked like you. I went back to find you, but you were gone."

"Yea, we were caught off guard and Van and I have been tiedhere the whole time."

Although she felt guilty about lying to Allen, it was inevitable under the circumstances she faced. She didn't want him to jumpto any conclusions.The problem was what was she going to do now?

"That was nearly a day ago," said Allen.

Had it really been that long? Well considering the factor: they had been asleep so time would have passed by quickly. How long had they been asleep though? Hitomi stretched her arms and legs. It felt as if she had been sitting in the same position for over 5 hours.

"I'm hungry," Van said suddenly as he rubbed his tummy. He was still shirtless. Apparently, Eni must have enjoyed looking at himas much asHitomi had.

Hitomi frowned.

Allen nodded. "You must be hungry too, Hitomi. I'll go tell the cook to make you guys something. She might not agree. It's pretty late too. 2 o' clock in the morning."

When Allen left, Van lay sprawled on the bed on his stomach. "Agh, I think I'm going to faint if I don't get something to eat."

Hitomi felt the same way. "Me, too."

"Come here." Van blindly reached up and found her arm, yanking her down with him. "There you go. This way, if you suddenly faint from hunger, I won't have to catch you."

"Jerk," laughed Hitomi.

Van turned on his side, propping his head on his hand, and traced the outline of her jaw. "I don't think I could lose you again."

Hitomi wanted to touch his thick overgrown hair but her arms were crushed against his chest so she remained like that. Instead she smiled sweetly at him."You're not going to lose me. There's no where for me to get lost."

A sad, innocent smile lit up his face. "Still, it's possible."

"It doesn't seem possible right now."

"Mmm." He suddenly leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. Hitomi felt as if she was melting from the inside. She loved the way he tasted. The sweet little kiss turned into a passionate lusting. Van's legs wedged between hers and their feet were tangled together.

In the midst of their lip-lock, Van's strong hands slipped under her shirt and undid her bra. A usually strong part of her protested but the other half, now dominant, enjoyed the heart pounding feeling. What was she going to do?

Her thoughts were distracted when Van lifted her shirt off, planting butterfly kisses from her belly button to her chest. Her skin rippled with delighted goose bumps. A low moan escaped her lips. Her body tingled with a sensation she couldn't describe. Her fingers found their way to Van's hair, tugging gently at it, as he kissed her neck and then her mouth.

The nagging wouldn't go away. It was when Van began pulling off her skirt that the sensible side of her brain finally took over. _Don't do anything you'll regret. Less than a year from now you are going to have a child because of this one special moment. For eighteen years you will be with that child. Are you ready to be a mother, Hitomi?_

"No . . ." she murmured. "No."

Her hand trembled as she pushed Van off of her. He struggled before rolling off. He lay panting beside her, a little sweaty. "That wasn't a very good idea, was it?"

"No," she replied softly, trying to control her heavy breathing.

"It only makes me want you more," he groaned into her hair. His hand absently caressed her tummy.

Hitomi managed to put her shirt and bra back on with Van's leg deliberately swung across her lap. She tried to get up but he pulled her back down.

"You're like a pillow. It makes me sleepy," he yawned.

"Eh. I'm just hungry."

He cracked open an eye. "Me, too. Where the hell is Allen anyway?"

"I was about to find him but you wouldn't let me. Aren't you supposed to be sick? I don't know how you got so strong. I can't even get your leg off me."

Hitomi suddenly remembered Escaflowne trapping her arm inside its red crest and feeling a little weakened afterwards. Had it absorbed her "power"? The power that Emperor Dornkirk was seeking? Had it somehow transferred her gift to Van and healed him?

"I'm feeling fine now," he said thoughtfully. "In fact, I feel better than ever."

_Maybe that was what happened. _Which would explain how she was able to construct a mental cable with him. "Are you some how linked to Escaflowne?"

Van shrugged. "I don't know. I don't even think that's possible."

_Okay, maybe it wasn't._ Van's arm slid across her stomach and did not budge when she tried to move it. His head rested on the nape of her shoulder, eyes closed. She laughed softly. He seemed like such a child in that position. This was one of those rare times that she got to see his unmatched innocence.

Allen came in to announce that dinner was ready. He slightly reddened upon finding them nestled together like fierce young lovers. "Would you like if I came back later?"

Van lifted his head. "No, it's fine. Besides we were waiting for _you_ but you freaking took your time. Poor Hitomi here fainted like the little weakling she is."

"I did not!" she protested as Van mussed up her hair.

"See? She's not acting herself."

Allen looked doubtful. "Well . . . she does seem a _little_ red in the face . . ."

"Yes, yes she does," agreed Van through his wide grin.

"Van's lying, Allen. Don't believe a word he says."

"I don't know, he seems to be telling the truth, Hitomi. I'll be downstairs with Millerna."

Van's eyebrow shot up. "Millerna's here?"

"Yes."

"Well, the best of luck, Allen."

A grin broke on Allen's face. "Thank you. You too."

"Curse you," said Hitomi as she jabbed a finger at Van after Allen left. "I didn't faint."

"It was the nearest to the truth as I could get."

"It was FAR away from the truth, Van."

He laughed and covered his eyes. "Let's go eat."

"You can go on ahead. I need to fix my clothes. It looks like I've been tramping around."

"Be careful, Hitomi."

Van kissed her sweetly on the lips and caressed her face before he went downstairs. Hitomi hurriedly straightened her clothes and patted down her lion hair. As she walked through the hallway, she felt a presence near by. She looked over her shoulders but didn't see anything.

Just when she turned her head again, a large cold hand clamped itself over her mouth. Her screams were muffled and she was pulled into the shadows of the hallway.

"Please do not shout when I release my hand. I only wish to speak with you."

The voice sounded so familiar. Hitomi nodded. The metallic hand was removed from her mouth. She turned around and confirmed her suspicion. It was Van's brother.

"Folken, what are you doing here?"

"Come, it's not safe for me here. If my brother saw that I was here, I don't think the consequences would be very pleasing."

Hitomi had some questions for him she needed to be answered. "Okay."

Folken led her out of the palace with a surprising knowledge of the palace's design. They walked some distance into the forest. He finally stopped when they were well into the safety of the green thicket. A smooth giant boulder marked their location. Hitomi looked uncertainly around. What if this was some sort of trap?

"Hitomi, you are in grave danger. Dornkirk has now assembled a league of armies to find you. I'm afraid he had the Madoushi scientists brainwash Dilandau into joining his army. Dilandau is at the very top. He and his Dragonslayers. They won't stop until they find you, Hitomi."

This news was more than she could take. She had suffered so much the last few days. When would it end? When Folken saw that Hitomi was not going to say anything, he continued.

"I advise that you leave Fanelia and search for refuge somewhere safe. I might know of a place but it will be dangerous getting you there." Folken sighed in a defeated manner. "I realized Dornkirk's true intentions too late. I am now doing the best that I can to assure that his plans fail, starting with you."

"Did you know why our memories were submerged in our subconscious?" Hitomi quietly asked.

Folken shook his head. "Mine were displaced as well. I was able to get them back. The blood I extracted from you . . . it was used to make an exact duplicate of you. It was a success. I wasn't informed of it until it was done. The Madoushi knew I would oppose the experiment. Dornkirk knew too. I was the only one who didn't."

"Eni."

Folken nodded. "Reinse named her Eni. The doppelganger had no memory of the procedure or her life. They created one for her and used her for the sole purpose of finding you. But I see it has failed. Eni remembered, didn't she."

"Yes. It was horrible and cruel what they did to her." Hitomi shifted her gaze to the weak rays of sunlight that was able to penetrate the wide-splayed leaves of ancient trees. It made the forest seem holy. She didn't want to leave Fanelia. Something told her that there was a task she must complete.

"I can't leave yet," she said after a while.

Folken's long black cloak rustled. Hitomi caught the metallic gleam of his artificial arm. It saddened her that Folken always seemed to hide it beneath the cool darkness of the cloak. "It's not safe, Hitomi."

"I know. I can't explain it. I have to stay."

Folken removed his cloak and stretched his metal arm. A deep sorrow lurked behind his brilliant brown eyes. "There is a bleak history behind this metal covering."

She had so many questions running inside her head but decided against it. Hitomi waited patiently for him to continue.

"It felt so long ago, and yet really it was only a short time. I was young and naïve then. Dragons are rare, Hitomi. They were rare back then and they still are rare now. It was tradition for a future king to slay a dragon for its heart, initiating the crowning ceremony."

"Van probably never told you, but our father died when we were bothyoung. I was next in line to the throne and I was burdened with the right. I had to go in search of a dragon and kill it.When I first saw that dragon, it was so huge, so proud. We both fought hard and in the end I couldn't bring myself to kill it. Because I faltered, the dragon took my arm."

"Itleft me dying on the forest ground. I was scared. My arm was missing and blood kept pouring out. I thought I was going to die. Before I lost consciousness, I saw a dark shadow hover over me, reaching for me. When I woke up, I rejoiced that I was still alive."

Folken clenched his mechanical hand into a fist. "But as soon as I saw this arm, you cannot imagine the horror I felt. Here was this hideous thing coming out of my shoulder. It was so alien. For days I despised it and refused to use. But Dornkirk, I called him Emperor back then, he reasoned that I was saved and this arm was given to me in the hope of saving others."

"I have always known that my people would see me as a coward and traitor after refusing to kill the dragon. But I believe it hurt Van most of all. We were close as brothers could be. I loved him and wanted to protect him from the shame.So I stayed with Dornkirk. One day I hope he will understand." Folken remained silent for a while.

"My hair wasn't always blue. It had been brown once. And my wings, they too were white as Van's. And this tattoo, it was never there. After the operation it was there. It had triggered something inside my body. My life was cut short and my hair turned blue and my wings black. But I dedicated myself to Dornkirk because it was he who saved me from death. He taught me all that I knew. And in return, I applied my knowledge and more to serving Zaibach."

Folken faced her. "You must understand, Dornkirk wasn't always bad. He came from the Mysitc Moon too."

Hitomi gasped. "I never knew that. What happened to him?"

"A long time ago, he had goals to save people from hunger and strife. He did save them but it only made them suffer more. They demanded that he design more things to make their life easier. He agreed and they made him their leader. Soon hundreds upon thousands of people began living in his district. They had never such innovations. Their curiosities were peaked."

"This only gave him more power. But the people were never satisfied. They only wanted more. They began fighting and stealing from each other. Dornkirk made himself an army to protect himself should they revolt against him. In a brief time, he had more loyal soldiers than he could ever want. Dornkirk then set higher goals for himself. He wanted to bring all kingdoms under his roof."

"However, the kingdoms had already been establish long before he had appeared on Gaea. They didn't want change. They wanted to be able to keep their power. The kingdoms were afraid of Zaibachs new technologies. Many feuds against the Zaibach empire broke out. But some became allies with Zaibach, hoping to receive the new technology for their loyalty."

Folken stood up and broke off a bark, studying it before throwing it into a ray of sunlight. The bark seemed to have been suspended in the light for less than a second before falling.

"I do not wish to have history repeat itself. These ancient feuds, I will not allow it to happen again."

"Brother," growled Van.

Hitomi and Folken twisted their heads and saw Van standing stiffly against a tree. The shadows cast a strange, dark look on him. Hitomi could sense his anguish

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A/N: How did you guys like this chapter? Thanks again for reviewing! MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!


	19. Brother's Aria

**Disclaimer: **Escaflowne is the property of Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment. I do not own Escaflowne or its characters.

A/N: Thank you for reviewing! I just love you guys (extreme tears)

OH MY GOOOOODNESS I love Cradle Song, A Far Cry, and Shadow of Doubt in the Escaflowne soundtrack. I think I want all the songs. In fact, I want the whole OST for Escaflowne! All four of them.

Oh dear, I think I just fell in love with the Vision of Escaflowne all over again. Hahah.

And the beginning part of Muse – Falling Away with You goes so well with Escaflowne too. Well, it's just my opinion. I'll leave you guys to be the judge of that. Lol.

Enjoy.

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**Chapter 19**

**Brothers' Aria**

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"Van." Folken uttered his name so softly Hitomi could barely hear it even though she was right next to him.

"Who gave you permission to step foot in my kingdom?" asked Van in a dark voice.

"Please understand, brother. I mean Hitomi no harm."

"Don't call me that." Van glanced at Hitomi. "Come here, Hitomi. I don't want you near him."

Hitomi looked apprehensively at both of them. She sensed Folken's hurt but she also felt Van's fury. Her heart went out to both of them but she couldn't and would not choose sides. "I'm sorry, Van. I don't want to be a part of this. This is a conflict between you and your brother and you two have to settle it yourselves. Please don't depend on me."

Van seemed taken aback by her decision. "Hitomi, I wasn't going to ask you to take my side. I just didn't want you near my bro—Folken."

"Ah . . . so you still acknowledge me as your kin, Van. When will you stop flinging your anger at me? I grow weary of this everlasting battle between us. I wish to end it."

"How can I not be angry with you? How can I forget?" Van's anguish seemed to be diminishing.

Folken peacefully crossed over to Van, who stiffened. Van's hand instinctively reached for the royal sword at his belt. "There's no need for violence, Van."

"Stay back. Don't make me do this."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Don't you remember? I told you why on Vione." A hard edge marked his voice. "You were supposed to be king. I wasn't ready yet . . . I had to take your place because you never came back. Do you know what makes it worse?"

"No," replied Folken calmly.

"You were loyal to Zaibach."

A pained look came on Folken's face. "I owed Dornkirk my life."

"That doesn't give you the right to side with the enemy!"

"Are you certain it is Zaibach that is your enemy, Van?"

"What? Of course it is. Why would you ask me that?"

"What have they done to you?"

Van opened his mouth to say something but no words came out. That seemed to have taken him by surprise. His lips closed with deliberate firmness. Hitomi watched him curiously. What had the Zaibach empire done to him? Hitomi thought she knew the answer to the question but needed Folken or Van to confirm it.

Folken's broad shoulders had remained erect the whole time. He seemed to possess a daunting will and yet unhindered by the burden of his past. Folken stepped closer to Van and this time Van didn't move.

"Is it because they took me away from you?"

Van looked up, but refused to say anything. Hitomi had come to the same conclusion as Folken's. Why else would Van be so riled up against Zaibach?

Folken risked another step. "It's okay to admit it, Van."

He still refused to speak.

_Van, you dumbass! _Why was he so stubborn? Why couldn't he let his pride down just this once? She wanted to shout at him to say it but knew it wasn't her place to do so. She sat tense on the boulder.

They were so different from each other and yet they were very much similar. One was scarred and the other carried the weight of the world on his tired shoulders. But they both shared a pain forged by the fabric of time whether they knew it or not. Van had lost his beloved brother and Folken lost everyone dear to him. And Van did too, as a domino effect. There was so much sadness in their history . . .

Hitomi hugged her knees, anxious of the outcome. She wanted them to forgive and forget but it didn't seem likely at the moment. Van shook his head as if he didn't know what to do and made his way back to the palace. Hitomi was about to run after him when Folken caught her arm.

"I think he needs some time alone."

Hitomi agreed. "What are you going to do now?"

"Me? Well, I'm going back to Vione tomorrow."

"Why? You said you realized the what Dornkirk was doing was wrong."

"It is complicated. I have to protect . . . Dilandau."

"Is there something wrong with him?"

Folken sat beside her. "Do you remember when I said that Dilandau had been brainwashed?"

Hitomi nodded.

"When Jajuka convinced him to come back to the Zaibach empire, Dilandau was unaware that the Madoushi scientists were waiting for him there. He assumed they would be on Vione with me. They took him into their laboratory and did . . . things to him. He won't recognize you anymore, Hitomi."

"Oh no . . ." She felt despair for Dilandau. She remembered all the bickering they had done when Hitomi was on Vione. But she smiled now, thinking of the time she found him in the garden.

"_Hello!" chirped Hitomi. She waited for a response but there was not even a slight movement from her._

_Hitomi cleared her throat and said in a louder voice. "Hello there!"_

_The person snapped out of her trance and froze. She viciously threw back her hood and jabbed a finger at Hitomi. "You!"_

_Hitomi gaped in horror before she started laughing. "I cannot believe I'm seeing this."_

_It was actually Dilandau behind the hooded cloak._

"_I thought you were a woman!" she said, trying to suppress another fit of laughter._

_He angrily glared at her. "It's not funny. If you must know, Folken visits here all the time. It was he who convinced me to come to this dreadful garden."_

_Hitomi sobered up and looked at him wide-eyed. "So you're not . . . gay?"_

"_Hell no. Why do you keep thinking that?" he asked in an irritated voice._

_She was disappointed. "Well, I always see you doing girly things."_

"_I do not do girly things! This is the first time," he said indignantly._

"_It's not my fault you act like a girl."_

"_I do not!"_

"_You just admitted it!"_

_Dilandau frowned. "No, I didn't. When did I admit it?"_

"_Oh my gods. Are you brain dead or something?"_

"_Why do you keep implying that I'm stupid?"_

_Hitomi felt like cracking her head on the floor. "Perhaps because you are?"_

_Dilandau put his hood back on. "Your face is disturbing my peace. I must leave now."_

"_Go ahead. It's not like I give a damn. Besides your girly-ness practically destroyed my sanity." She snickered inwardly and leaned over the amaryllis blossom to hide the grin on her face._

_Dilandau whirled on his heel and gave her the deadliest look he could muster. "Before you keep on laughing, you may want to look in the mirror before it runs the hell away from you," he hissed angrily._

_Agh! How dare that dimwitted freak make fun of her! "You are despicable!"_

When she snapped out of her reverie, Folken was gone. She looked around but could find no trace as to where he went. With a sad sigh, Hitomi trudged out of the forest. She found Van sitting by the river but didn't want to disturb him. She went inside the palace. What was to become of Eni now?

"Where did you go, Eni?"

When she went to bed that night, she prayed for a sign to guide her on her path. She didn't know what she was supposed to do. And most of all, she missed her family and friends on Earth and marveled at the difference between her life on Gaia and her life on Earth. _The Mystic Moon._

Her dream was excruciating vivid. She was still on Gaia. She was standing in a meadow of scented wild flowers and was surprised to find a girl in a kimono with braided hair standing two arms length in front of her. _Grandma! _Hitomi's mother always thought the resemblance between them was uncanny.

"My sweet Hitomi," smiled the girl. Hitomi thought it a little strange coming from someone who looked her own age. "You called and I came."

"Grandma," Hitomi said slowly. "I'm so lost. Sometimes I just want to run away and go home."

"Is that what you want?"

"I . . . I don't know."

"I think you know what you have to do but you are afraid to do it."

"But I don't. I don't know anything." Hitomi sank to her knees and wrapped her arms around her leg.

Her grandmother placed a supporting hand on her shoulder. "Have you forgotten this?" She held up Hitomi's pendant.

"No."

"If you wish hard enough, your dreams will come true. But—" Her grandmother's eyes shone brightly. "But you must always have faith in yourself. Your wishes reflect your soul. Always remember that, Hitomi."

"Thank you, Grandma."

In another dream, she was roaming through the woods in the dark of night. When the branches parted in certain sections, Hitomi could see the stars dance and mingle with one another. She reached a large lakeside. Its waters sparkled beneath the full moon.

She saw a tall, beautiful woman wading into the river. Her dark, long hair trailed behind her like the train of a dress. Without warning, large milky wings grew from her shoulders. The force of it caused large ripples in the water. A sad expression marked her delicate face. This was Van's mother.

A man, who must have been Van's father, appeared from the forest and approached the woman. She didn't shy away and accepted his extended hand with earnest.

Hitomi woke up with a jerk. Was this the sign she needed? Hitomi blinked away the lingering tugs of sleepiness and stretched. The day promised to be bright and sunny. She saw an emerald sheath on top of the drawer. She gently picked it up and pulled out the sword. It made a satisfying metallic sound. Memories flashed in her mind. Every lesson Allen and Millerna taught her came back with a sudden rush. Van wanted her to duel him. And a duel she would accept.

Carrying the sword in its sheath, Hitomi made her way downstairs. Van was waiting for her.

"Good morning, Hitomi," he said with a smile. He seemed to have forgotten what had happened the day before. "I see you've found it."

She held up the emerald sheath. "Yes, I did."

"Ready?" His grin widened.

She smiled with him. "Yes."

They raced to the sacred place behind the temple of gods and prepared their stance. Each was a counterpart of the other. Where Hitomi lacked strength, she made up with grace and vice versa. Hitomi held her blade ready.

Van made an arch in the grass for the Half-Moon Goddess and Hitomi did the same. The sparring was initiated. For the next hour they exchanged no words. The fluid movements of their swords were all the communication they needed.

Hitomi blocked a side swing from Van and attacked him withabackslash. He dodged it and raised his sword. The blades uttered a sharp clang as they made contact. She shifted the weight on her back leg to her front and swung the blade with both hands on the hilt. Van countered with a swung of his own. For seconds they wrestled, metal glinting in the sun light.

By now they were both breathing heavily, and Hitomi had a feeling he was going somewhat easy on her. "Come on, Van. Give it all you've got!"

He grunted as he changed the way he held his sword. Hitomi braced herself. When he made his final strike, Hitomi's arm felt the fierce vibration of his impact on her sword. She took too long on that and Van, seeing this chance, had her neck under his blade within the next second. Hitomi felt his heart beating rapidly against her back.

"You win," she said, smiling widely. "That was fun. We should do it more often."

"So you could beat me?"

"Nooo. Why didn't we go to the temple this time?"

Van returned his sword to its sheath. "I didn't think we'd need to."

She nodded and gingerly went on to say. "Folken is leaving today."

He shrugged.

"You should go talk to him."

"I don't want to."

"But he's your brother."

"So?"

She clutched his face and pouted. "Go, Van."

Despite himself he laughed. "I feel like a fish. And no, I won't."

"Yah! What would it take for you to do it?"

Van lay on his back with his head on his arms and closed his eyes. "Nothing."

She found a cliff just a short distance away and peered over the edge. It was a long way down and quite fatal to the human body should any one fall off. Just to see if this would change Van's mind, she stood a foot away from the cliff and asked playfully. "What about this?"

He opened an eye. "Don't be silly. Come back here."

"Not until you say you'll do it."

"No."

"Van . . ." She lifted a foot off and raised her arms to balance herself.

He sat up and eyed her warily. "You're going to fall off if you don't stop."

"What if that's what I want?"

"You wouldn't."

She grinned at him. "Would I?"

"Hitomi."

"What?"

"Come he—"

Even before he finished saying "Come here," Hitomi knew it was too late. The cliff had been eroding for decades already and the added weight of her body placed certain pressures where the ground was weak. The dirt under her feet gave way and she slipped.

"Van!"

"Hitomi!"

As she fell, she saw Van jump off the cliff. _Van, you stupid—_A look of pain came on his face. Then his glorious wings sprouted from his back and unfurled to its full length. She had forgotten he had them. He didn't use them very often. He dived toward her, wings flapping gracefully. Pieces of his shirt floated down toward her. Before long, their hands clasped together and he pulled her toward him in a protective embrace.

"Don't do that again," he whispered in her ear.

She caught a stray feather. "I won't."

She wanted this breathtaking moment to last a while, if not forever. She loved the way his wings rustled in the wind and the way the fresh air whistled passed her hair. She looked at him and saw that he seemed to be enjoying the rush too.

"I don't want to land yet, Van."

He nodded, and they flew around Fanelia for a while longer. They were comfortable in each other's contemplative silence and didn't feel the need to talk at all. Van circled the cliffs surrounding Fanelia several times before Hitomi saw the lake she had seen in her dream. There was a figure standing in the body of water.

"Van, let's stop over there."

"Why?"

"I think I see something."

"Okay."

As they approached closer to the lake, Hitomi caught the silvery gleam of Folken's hair. He turned to look up at them as they flew by him. The same expression on Van's mother's face was on his. Van landed but his wings remained. Hitomi looked over at Folken. His wings were out but they were dark as coals. Their gloomy appearance was enough to depress her and what made it even sadder was Van's expression when he saw them. He ran into the lake.

"Brother! What happened to your wings? Why are they black?" Van didn't seem aware that he had called Folken his brother. "Tell me."

A sad smile appeared on Folken's face. "It's what happened to me when they gave me this arm."

"But what does it mean?"

"It means, Van, that I can no longer expect a full life."

Hitomi watched them from the bank. White against black. Counterparts of each other. Van seemed young and vulnerable, like a child, now. Folken was the only member of his family alive and to see them together like this, broken and indifferent, grieved her.

She felt Van's uncertainty and the undeniable pain. And she also had a feeling Folken's lifespan was going to be short, very short.

"You're going back?" asked Van grimly.

"Yes. I have business to take care of."

"What business?"

"There is something I need to do for Dilandau."

"Dilandau!" Van's eyes flashed. "What is he to you?"

Folken's eyebrow arched slightly. "He is someone who needs my help."

Van was silent for a moment. "Will you come back?"

Hitomi's head perked up. What was Folken going to say? She thought she had heard a little tint of hope in Van's voice.

Folken gazed at Van with a brother's endearment. "I will do my best, Van."

Van nodded. No hugs, no tears. Just a simple nod. Folken soared into the air with wings that graced the air with its black fingers. Van and Hitomi watched him as he disappeared over the cliffs of Fanelia. Van slowly paced toward her with heavy footsteps. He looked weary.

"He'll come back," she reassured him.

He gave her a slight nod and together they made their way home.

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A/N: Well, that's that. I hope you enjoyed it. There really wasn't a purpose to this chapter. I just felt that Van and Folken deserved a chapter dedicated to them. Folken's history is so sad, it makes me depressed. Gah, I ramble on too much.

Now there's only 7 more chapters to go! And the suspense rises.


	20. Crimson Fate

**Disclaimer: **The Vision of Escaflowne is the property of Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment. I do not own the Vision of Escaflowne or its characters.

A/N: It's been a while, hasn't it! I fancy this chapter may tend to get a little tedious, especially with the explanations. Don't stray too far! Lol Oh, and I thank you all for reviewing!

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**Chapter 20**

**Crimson Fate**

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Emperor Dornkirk peered into his scope for a glimpse of the present state of his prodigious brainchild. "Ah, there you are, Eni. Hmm, something is amiss. You are not as I had left you."

He watched closely for the next half hour, observing her actions. He noticed the sag of her shoulders, the droop of her eyes, and the drag of her feet. There were moments when flashes of anger crossed her face only to be replaced by an uncertain look of doubt. Indeed, something was wrong.

"What is it?" he whispered, intent on discovering the heart of the problem. "Have you failed me?"

Eni raised her head, an expression of fear in her eyes as if she had heard him. _No!_ This was inconceivable! The Madoushi had given him word that the experiment was a complete success. Eni had harbored no memories after the operation. She was equipped with the best training he could offer. What caused this failure?

Dornkirk called to Folken. A moment later the screen flickered, bearing Folken's expressionless face. "My dear Strategos, we have encountered a problem."

"What is it, Emperor?" asked Folken passively.

"I have discovered a defect in our quest for domination. Find Eni and bring her here. I want a full account of her story before anything is done. When I have unearthed the severity of her situation, only then will I deliver her punishment. Quickly now, time is of the essence."

Folken nodded and the screen went blank. Dornkirk leaned back in the machine that supported his ancient body. What he would give to regain the youth he had lost. This frail carcass of his could not live on its own. Its efficiency eroded away with time and time was something he had taken for granted. He looked into the scope again, searching for Hitomi's soul.

Before the minor Fate Alteration, he had ordered Hitomi captured for the purpose of studying her physical and mental structure. He had sensed a faint glimmer of power in her. He had waited quite a time, watching through his scope. Each day the little glimmer grew and radiated with a vigor he desired to possess but he had made his move too soon.

The strength of the energized force inside her was still growing. He had made a mistake in his calculations. He had thought she was ready, that her power was ready to be used to change the fate of the world and bring it under his control. He had Folken and Dilandau befriend her, hoping to fell the protective guards around it. But alas, the power was not ripe.

Dornkrik had to abandon all hopes of retrieving it and had to wait until it was fully matured. And so, using the minor Fate Alteration, he froze the minds of those who had ever been in contact with Hitomi and buried their memories deep inside their minds. Hitomi herself was injected with a serum Folken had concocted to force her body to shut down and restart itself a minute later. It was supposed to put her into a state of utter submission until her power fully matured.

But something very peculiar happened. The minute the drug took effect, Hitomi's body began to glow with a tremendous force. A pillar of light shot down from the heavens and took her away, somewhere he could not see her through his scope. He knew then that she had returned to the Mystic Moon.

However, much to his delight, she suddenly appeared on Gaea once again. This time the meters of his Fate Redirector machine skyrocketed as it measured Hitomi's potent strength. Employing Eni as a maid in the very heart of the kingdom had been crucial to his plans. Eni was to get everyone to trust her before she lured Hitomi into the empty kitchen, where Dilandau and his Dragonslayers were hiding.

When Dilandau brought her to him, the joy and elation he felt was beyond words. But it sickened him when Dilandau's loyalty to him had faltered and Dilandau helped Hitomi escape. As a punishment, Dornkirk had Jajuka bring Dilandau to the Empire and had the Madoushi scientists perform an alteration on Dilandau, inducing him in a hypnotic state where his mind forgot the memories of Hitomi.

Such efforts wrought into the mission. He would not have them be futile.

Dornkirk found her at last, walking side by side with the young, defiant king of Fanelia. But that was all he could see before the image before him clouded up in a haze of thick mist. He gave a frustrated sigh. "You are too much trouble, little one. It would have been easier to capture a dragon than containing you. It was my mistake to let you go in the first place."

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As Hitomi climbed up the steps to the protected fortress, she realized that she still did not discover why their memories were altered. Would she ever know? Oh, the irony.

Rain began pouring in steady bouts, falling at inconsistent speeds. She sensed that something had riveted Van into a state of utter oblivion, but not because of Folken's departure. "Van, is something wrong?"

He stopped, raven hair slick from the rain but plowed on up the stairs again, leaving Hitomi perplexed and more curious than she had previously been. They made it inside the comforting safety of the palace.

After shaking out the water from his hair, he asked "What did Folken want with you anyway?"

Hitomi stared at the floor. Should she tell him what Folken had told her? She still hadn't told him of the gypsy's premonition of her death. Van was already burdened enough. She didn't want him to worry about her. "He wanted to make amendments for his previous actions. You know, before our memories were altered?"

Van was about to say something when a shrill cry pierced the still air. It was followed by several earth shattering rumbles. Van was quick to react, flying out of the palace in search of the source. Hitomi ran after him but his wings had already come out. He flew up high, muscles rippling with each graceful flap of his wings. For a moment, he appeared to be some sort of godly creature.

"Go back inside, Hitomi! It might not be safe out here."

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine." And he was gone beyond her sight.

Hitomi watched anxiously for a few more minutes before complying. She found that everyone in the fortress had gathered to ponder what the devil had happened. The high and low pitches of men and women harmonized together in their frenzy to discover the truth. The Head Advisor, Jacques, gripped her arms, squeezing her flesh like they were some lifeless squid.

"What has happened? What was that awful sound?"

"I don't know," replied Hitomi. "Van went to find out."

Jacques stared at her in disbelief. "You let him go? In that weakened state he was in?"

"He's recovered now. I don't know how though."

The head adviser seemed on the verge of collapsing with the overdose of happiness upon finding the health of his beloved king was restored. "How . . . how can this be? He was nearly dead when I last saw him."

Hitomi thought he was being overly dramatic and had to stifle a laugh, which turned into a dry cough in her efforts, when she saw the strained expression on his face

"Are you okay, my child?" Jacques asked, full of motherly concern. It had never occurred to Hitomi before if he had a family.

"Oh, yes, I'm fine."

He seemed to be thinking. "We must hold a council now while we wait for the king to return. You will act as Lord Van's voice in the subjects we shall discuss."

Hitomi was horrified to be asked to perform an honorific thing. What if her conscience was entirely the opposite of Van's. But what the heck, it wouldn't hurt to try anyway. When the Council had assembled in the stone auditorium, Hitomi sat among them, surprised at how old they all were.

Jacques stood up and said in a loud, clear voice, "Our kingdom must make preparations for an open war. It could be now or it could be years from now. Nonetheless, we must be ready. We now have more men soldiered than we could possibly ever ask for. We have had them trained in the art of guymelef combat. But the question is, when do we strike?"

Hitomi had to give him credit. He knew what he was doing and he know how to do it well.

A woman with fierce knowing eyes spoke. "I think it would be wise to wait for the enemy to attack first."

"But why wait? Why not take them by surprise while we still can?" asked a burly man with thick wavy hair.

"I say Nandur is right. We have the upper hand here," agreed another man.

The woman, whose name, Hitomi learned from Jacques, was Andres, retorted sternly, "Be reasonable. We don't know for certain if the Zaibach forces will attack us. It would be a horrendous mistake to assume wrongly. Think of the people who would suffer."

Jacques nodded and so did Hitomi. Was this all the Council ever talked about? Discussing tactics for war? Weren't advisors supposed to _advise?_

Nandur fell silent, pondering Andres's sensible words. "What shall we do then, while we wait?"

"I think we should fortify the walls surrounding Fanelia as best as you can," suggested Hitomi before she could stop herself. The advisors all stared at her. Hitomi felt herself shrinking under their penetrating gazes. Her cheeks were lit on fire.

A grave looking man inclined his head. "That would be a great solution for those attacking on foot. We have nothing besides our own guymelefs to defend the Zaibach Alseides. There seems to be limited options."

"Arrows? Rocks? Javelins?" Hitomi offered sheepishly.

The others seemed to be taking her words into consideration. Finally Jacques spoke for all of them. "Those are excellent, if not crude, ideas."

"We could have everyone help! Those, out of their sheer will, who are capable of carrying and throwing should be enlisted quickly. Those skilled in archery and lancing should also too. Have them scattered in strategic locations all over Fanelia. And we should take advantage of Fanelia's natural cliffs. They can provide great hiding places. The old, pregnant, and young can go there to seek refuge while we fight." Hitomi was on a _roll_. Ideas flowed furiously into her head and it was her desire to voice them. It was only until she noticed how quiet the room had grown that she looked behind her.

There he was, arms crossed over his upheld chest and a tired, mocking smile on his face. "Well, ladies and gentlemen, I see we have a new commander in waiting."

The advisors laughed while Hitomi's face burned like a stove. Van crossed over to her and brushed the side of her face affectionately. She glared at him only to have him break into a silly grin. "It's not funny. I was only trying to help."

"Yes, I saw."

"What did you find?"

He shook his head distractedly and looked up into the expectant eyes of his advisors. He took a deep breath and announced the expected words solemnly, "It has begun."

Some nodded and some were frozen in their seats. Andres shook herself free from the deadly silence that had engulfed them and squared her shoulders. "We will stand ready as one."

Van smiled grimly and left. One by one the advisors left to prepare for the coming battle. Hitomi remained in the large hall for a while before she went to look for Van. She found him sitting on the railing of his balcony. His eyes flickered toward her once, acknowledging her presence. She slowly approached him and circled her arms around his waist, pressing her cheek against his broad back.

"Be careful, Van."

He suddenly turned his head to look behind him. "You know I will."

"Why must there be war? What does it solve?"

"It . . ." He was silent for a moment. "Wars are necessary to determine the victor and what will be lost or gained. And also to retain freedom."

"But why? Aren't truces and compromises enough? Why are we even fighting against Zaibach?"

Van brooded in his thoughts for awhile. "When I found her, she was trampled to death by an Alseides. That cry everyone heard . . . it was the pain she felt before her life was extinguished. They didn't even look back to see who it was! Bastards. She was only a child, Hitomi."

"And to think they would simply kill a citizen of Fanelia out of pure carelessness. What would they do in a real war?" he continued, growing more with pent up anger. "What drove them to do such an unspeakable deed?"

Should she tell him? She laced her fingers together. "Do you know why they were here?"

He shook his head.

"Van—"

A loud distant rumble rippled through the air. _Boom._ Another one followed, and another. _Boom. _Soon the mere sound of hundreds of those _booms_ rocked her body. Hitomi peered out into the city but could not find what was causing the sounds. Van cursed under his breath and jumped down from the balcony.

"Van! Where are you going?"

"Escaflowne!" he shouted up to her as he ran to the other side of the palace.

Hitomi followed him using the corridors inside. She reached the storage room just in time as Van climbed into high magnificent stone guymelef. The face gear slid soundlessly into place, concealing his stern, lean figure.

"Be careful," she whispered those words again. He may not have taken it to heart, but she also meant for him to be careful not to accidentally injure a harmless civilian. She had seen what he could do with a sword. She didn't want all those gears and mecha to purge him into a blind madness.

As she watched him go past her, she had a feeling he was closer to Escaflowne than he realized. And that frightened her. Like a signal, the moment everyone caught sight of Escaflowne, they flew into action. She heard all around men assembling their armor or piloting their guymelefs. The cold, sharp clang of metal clashing against each other sent chills down her spine.

Hitomi knew she had to fight even before she heard the Zaibach guymelefs. She ran to Van's room and spotted with exhilaration the jade green companion. She lifted the sheath and made her way out into the smooth, sandy plaza of the town.

"Wait a minute. Why are Zaibach guymelefs not using their stealth cloak?"

This was a trap. She came to the conclusion that they were trying to see how Fanelia aligned their defenses so they could adapt it to their plans when they would attack later on. Hitomi hurried to find Van, dodging in and out of curious bystanders. She shouted at them to return to their homes and lock themselves inside. Some obeyed but others were still more stubborn.

She found Escaflowne flying over head, patrolling the town should any of his men be attacked by Zaibach forces and would strike from there. "Van!"

She wasn't sure he could hear her, since the distance between them must have measure more than 50 yards.

"What are you doing out here?" he demanded with fury as soon as he caught sight of her. He shifted back to Escaflowne's original form and jumped down onto the roof of a nearby house.

Hitomi climbed up the ladder on the side of that house and stood as tall as she could on the roof. "Call back all your men, Van. It's a trap!"

"How do you know that? How do you know that it's not what they want us to think?"

She shook her head. "They're planning to study as Fanelia comes to its defenses and once they've done that, they'll retreat. They'll know what we plan to do to protect Fanelia and use it against us."

Van peered silently at her. She saw the quiet anger coursing through him and the inevitable concern he held for her. But she refused to back down.

"Do you trust me?"

He looked away and said in a remote voice, "Yes."

"Then trust me now, Van. I know what I'm doing."

"And if you're wrong?"

"I won't."

He nodded and jumped back onto Escaflowne, turning it into the flying dragon. He did a series of swirls and curves in the sky, indicating the signal for retreat. A mass confusion rose among the people. Some grew outraged at the sudden retreat. Van appeared a while later on a tall mound meant to give him a heightened attention. His advisors stood respectfully behind him. Apparently, he had been conversing with them.

"I know many of you have questions regarding what just happened. We were able to extract information from a reliable source (here, he glanced at Hitomi) and discovered that Zaibach had set a trap for us. Luckily, we were able to step away in time before it was too late. I say to you all, and I mean every one of you . . . Go home and rest while you can. You may not have such liberties in the future."

As Van turned to leave, a man's voice rang out deep and strong. "What of yourself, my lord?"

The question caught him off guard, but a faint smile traced his lips. "I'll do what I can."

The man didn't look very satisfied with the answer he got but backed down nevertheless.

Most of the Zaibach Alseides had left after seeing what Van had done, but a few still remained. Hitomi noticed one of them right away. The one with the lustrously red hue. She remembered Folken had warned her that Dilandau would not recognize her anymore.

Dilandau's Oreides moved forward into the crowd. "By the order of Emperor Dornkirk and General Adelphos, I ask that you hand over Hitomi. Failure to comply will result in bloodshed."

A commotion broke out where angry, timid, confused questions became a deafening buzz in the air. Eyes that recognized who she was now flickered to Hitomi in a raging stream full of accusation. But most of all, the hard, bright auburn eyes that bore into hers hurt the most. Van's face was filled with more than disbelief.

He was angry, she realized. Angry that she didn't tell him? Angry that she was the sole reason that wrought fear into his people's hearts? Hitomi broke his gaze and stared fixedly at no point in particular. _It's all my fault . . ._

But it was Merle's voice, her beautiful, lifting voice, that rose above all. "No."

The surprise Van felt reflected in his shocked expression. Hitomi felt much the same way. The commotion seemed to have died down a bit as everyone turned to Merle, anticipating her next words.

"You can't have her."

"No?" questioned Dilandau's mocking voice. "Since when did a lowlife like you learn to speak up?"

"Shut your mouth, Dilandau," came Van's deathly quiet voice. "Hitomi stays."

Dilandau's sharp laughter rang in the air. "This is going to be fun."

Van drew his sword, but that only made Dilandau laugh harder as he lifted Oreides' arm for combat. How fast was the liquid metal? Hitomi couldn't bear the sight of people fighting. Van was right when he stated the reasons for war, but she saw so many other options that would solve the conflict. The problem now, she realized, was having the courage to stand face to face with an enemy and see him as a friend.

"It's not worth it," she said softly. "It's not worth it to fight! I'll go. But please, don't fight anymore."

Dilandau's head whirled to her. "Huh?"

"Hitomi?" uttered Van. "You can't . . ."

"I'm going, Van. Don't stop me."

A unanimous cry of agreement rippled through the crowd. They could not risk their fragile little lives for something this destructive. It was easier if she went and left their kingdom out of it. Already, an innocent child had died. It would destroy them if more fell prey to their enemy.

"Well! I was expecting more of a challenge." Dilandau extended the triple claw to grapple Hitomi around the waist. Hitomi felt lightheaded as the rush of escalating so fast messed up her sense of balance.

Van ran towards her, pushing through the throng of people in his hurry. "Hitomi! I'll come for you!"

"No! Stay in Fanelia . . ." Hitomi blinked back the urge to cry and said the last part to herself. ". . . where you're safe."

"Eet iz a funny thing."

Hitomi looked up, surprised. _Izhalla!_

The gypsy woman gave a mysterious smile. "Come home az soon az you can, hm?"

Did this mean she was going to live? The image before her blurred as Dilandau swiftly turned his back on the cluster of town members and flew into the forest. Distorted images of glittering olive trees and soft jade maples whizzed passed her as Oreides gained speed. She had no idea how fast they were going but she had a feeling that if her body was to accidentally hit a tree, her body would be flattened.

Time passed, she didn't know how long. She was starving half to death and she was tired. Dilandau had made no attempts to speak with her so far.

"I'm hungry," she said timidly.

Dilandau seemed to have tuned out everything, bent on reaching their destination on time. Hitomi cleared her throat and repeated the statement loud enough for him to hear.

"What?" he snapped. "You'll have time to eat later."

Silence filled the whispering air once more. A sudden thought came to her. She wondered if it would help him remember her.

"Who are you, Dilandau?"

Dilandau slowed down slightly. "What? What kind of a stupid question is that? You just said my name."

_Okay . . . maybe that wasn't a good idea._ "I know, but who are you exactly?"

Oreides seemed to accelerate at breakneck speed. Hitomi clutched tightly onto the metal around her. She was afraid the he would forget he was holding her with the liquid metal and slacken his control on it.

"Very good question," he sneered. "Why don't you ask yourself that?"

_Ask . . . myself? Who I am?_ She was Hitomi, of course. "I—"

No, that was just her name. A name with different shades behind it, colored by memories and experiences. "I am Hitomi, Dilandau. And you are my friend, that's who you are."

The guymelef immediately halted and landed hard on the soft forest ground. Dilandau pushed back the pilot cover and ran down Oreides' arm. He seized Hitomi by the collar and brought her face close to his. "What kind of crap are you saying? I don't know you. I have never seen you before. And therefore we are not acquaintances."

Despite the fear she felt, she placed a steady hand on his scarred cheek. "It's okay to be afraid, Dilandau. It's all right if you don't believe me. You don't remember but we were friends . . . once. A while ago, I guess. Well, _I_ thought you were my friend anyway. You saved me from a horrible nightmare—"

He gave her a violent shake. "Shut up! You're lying!"

She gripped both sides of his face in the palm of her hands, forcing him to look at her. "Listen to me, I'm telling you the truth and—and I think you know it too. You just don't remember. Back on Vione, we bickered everyday and had awful food fights. We fought each other with swords. The garden, Dilandau, I discovered you visiting the garden and I thought you were a woman. And you were angry with me because I saw the gentle side of you you didn't want anyone to see."

"Stop it," he growled.

"You kidnapped me that one night. While we were eating, you scared your horse so bad that it . . . it kicked you unconscious. I took the advantage I had and tied you up, hoping to blackmail you. I was trying to wake you up but you thought I was trying to drown you. We made a deal but when I woke up I was inside this horrible, dark, suffocating room. I was so lonely. And then you visited me and freed me from the cage I was trapped inside."

"I told you shut up!" There was something different in his manner now.

This time she listened. Had she gone too far? Dilandau released her and angrily climbed back into Oreides. She heard him slam and jerk the metal contraptions inside the pilot seat. And then they were off, flying once more as if nothing had happened.

* * *


	21. Evening Romance

**Disclaimer: **The Vision of Escaflowne is the property of Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment. I do not own the Vision of Escaflowne or its characters.

A/N: Oh man, I'm sorry it took such a long time to update. Well, it felt long to me lol.I thank all of you for reviewing. Just 5 more chapters until the end! I wonder what can happen in 5 chapters . . .

* * *

**Chapter 21**

**Evening Romance**

* * *

"Bastard," muttered Dilandau.

Hitomi looked behind and saw Escaflowne's dragon form following close behind. He hadn't listened to her! _Van, what are you doing? Why don't you ever listen to me?_

"Give me back Hitomi," growled Van's angry voice.

"Well, Van, in that case catch us if you can."

The two guymelefs weaved intricate patterns through the air, hurling their weapons at each other. Hitomi thought her limbs were going to snap, jerked to and fro like that in the midst of their quarreling. Closer and closer the grand fortress of Vione loomed. Would Van be able to rescue her in time?

"Folken!" Dilandau cried.

"Yes, Dilandau?"

"Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Catch!" Dilandau flung Hitomi from him. A scream managed to escape from her dry throat. For a moment as she sailed through the air, she truly thought this would be the death of her.

"Van!" she called and stretched her fingers out to him.

She saw his eyes widen and jumped from Escaflowne, wings spread magnificently. Dilandau immediately attacked Van with the liquid claw. Van faltered in his flight, gripping his wounded arm. Something caught her. She turned and saw Folken in one of the Zaibach guymelefs. Could she trust him? Van made to move to him but Dilandau blocked Van's way.

"_Folken!_" roared Van. "What are you doing? Why are you with _him?_"

Instead of answering, Folken flew away from the scene but not towards the fortress. Hitomi heard Dilandau's perplexed shouts and Van's furious ones. However, neither would allow the other to reach Folken without putting up a fearsome fight. Hitomi and Folken landed on a gentle moss covered cliff.

"Whose side are you on, Folken?" Hitomi demanded.

"Neither. You should know, Hitomi. You are in much the same position as I am."

_What?_ _What was he talking about. _She was on Van's side . . . wasn't she? So what was making her hesitate? "I want to protect Fanelia . . ."

"But?"

"I don't want any violence."

"It's not so easy, Hitomi. Consider the independent kingdoms. They have as much right to rule their own as Van does his. And Dornkirk in his own way. But you, you have shown Dilandau a bit of your kindness. Your virtue . . . your integrity has opened up a side of him that no one else but I could. If you could manage that I think nothing will be able to stand in your way. You alone can bring the peace that Dornkirk failed to do."

She had heard this so many times before and she was tired of it. Everyone depended on her and yet they hated her at the same time. This burden she didn't ask for was Gaea's salvation. She understood Folken's intention and she too wished to cease the bloodshed but she didn't want to be a part of it. She knew deep down people would get killed no matter what she said or did.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do or not do. What if I make a horrible mistake? Everyone would suffer because of me."

"I can guide you. I have studied much of the history since the time of Dornkirk, or I should say, Isaac. That was his former name before he came here. I can help you where he went wrong," coaxed Folken.

She gazed up at the two figures battling up above her. "You know, Van and Dilandau are more alike than they would ever admit. They both love to fight. It's the way their body moves that tells me so. I can't stand it when I see them fighting, even if it's not with each other."

"They grew up learning the art of combat. It is all they have and live for," was Folken's soft reply.

Hitomi suddenly felt nostalgic. _Home._ What a wonderful word it was. Home was safe and warm, filled with familiar scents and objects. She didn't realize how much she had missed it until now. She never gave herself time to think about it because she was overwhelmed and intrigued by this strange world. She missed her mother, who always smelled faintly of cherry blossoms and cookies. She wanted to go home now and leave this horrible, violent place.

And as if someone had heard her plea, an intense, white pillar of light shot down from the sky at her. The hair on her arms rose and chills rippled throughout her. It was happening again, just like before. This light was going to send her home. A sense of relief filled her but as she turned her head, she saw Van hurtle toward her like a falling meteor. Was he crying?

Van was crying . . . ! Hitomi had never seen him in tears before, not even when she had gone missing for months on end. And then he was there in the light with her, arms around her crushing her to him. It amazed her that she was able to think how inappropriate it must have looked being held by a half naked man.

* * *

He didn't care if she saw him with tears in his eyes. He didn't even care that Dilandau had seen him like this, even though he was sure Dilandau would never let him hear the end of it. The harder he held her the more he felt in his heart she was slipping away from him.

"Don't go, Hitomi," he whispered breathlessly against her hair. "Stay with me."

She didn't look at him. "It's too late, Van."

Did she really dislike being here? Was it so awful? He bent his head so that it was touching hers. "Why?"

"This is something I can't control. I don't know how to stop it," she said quietly. Van couldn't see if she was crying or not.

"Try," he urged her, but she only shook her head.

"It's better this way, Van. Zaibach will leave Fanelia alone if I'm gone. I already got someone killed because they wanted me. I don't want any more to get hurt because of me."

"It wasn't your fault."

"Yes it was!" Her hand caressed his cheek and she spoke in a low voice, "It was."

Van suddenly felt very tired. He could not find the strength to argue further. His wings were straining the muscles in his back and the wound on his arm burned sharply, but he refused to give in. Bit by bit, her body took on a light transparency until his arms no longer felt the solidness of her body. The beam disappeared, and along with it Hitomi. He kept his eyes upward as he slowly descended to the cool grassy meadow. There was a hollow in his chest and a throbbing ache. He couldn't believe she was really gone. He was just holding her a moment ago.

Out of curiosity, he glanced over at Dilandau, who had a look of astonishment clearly written on his face. Van had to laugh. He never thought that stupid maniac was capable of making that kind of face.

"Perhaps it was our fault," Folken calmly suggested.

Van didn't feel like listening to him at the moment. He still did not know whether to hate him or simply ignore him for returning to Vione. Van could not bring himself to trust Folken. Not yet. He looked to the Mystic Moon and wondered if Hitomi had made it safely to her homeland. What was she doing right now?

Dilandau was looking at it too. "I wonder if she'll be coming back."

"Of course she will!" Van almost shouted.

"Geez, I didn't know it was such a crime to voice my thoughts aloud."

"Just shut up."

Dilandau's laugh came out like a barking dog. "You're telling _me_ to shut up? You really want to die, don't you?"

"Say that again and you'll die too."

Both of their hands instantly went to their swords but Folken's words cut them short. "This is exactly why she left, both of you. If I had to see this all the time, I too would want to leave."

"It was nothing serious," Van protested, trying to hide his guilt.

"Yes, but had I not interfered the two of you would have killed each other without hesitation. This is not how it should be. Hitomi believed there can be peace without violence, but she didn't know how right she was. Is it so hard? To put aside your differences and see each other as friends?"

Van reeled at the mere suggestion and impulsively gave Dilandau a distasteful look only to have him do the same thing. He could not imagine himself calling Dilandau in a brotherly way.

"It's what Hitomi would have wanted," continued Folken.

"What makes you think that?" Dilandau shot back.

"She told me."

"So it was our fault," murmured Van. He thought hard and long until he found the only suitable solution. "I guess we could call a truce until she returns."

"That could be years!" Dilandau exclaimed. "Are you willing to wait that long?"

Van narrowed his eyes. "Are _you?_"

Dilandau gave a defeated sigh. "Fine. We'll call a truce but the _minute_ she returns—"

"It defeats the whole purpose of Hitomi's intentions, no?" interrupted Folken. "There is no point in calling a truce and then fighting again if you are only going to make her sad again."

"Or we could battle until she comes back," grinned Dilandau.

Van shook his head. "I don't think that'll work."

"Why not?"

"I don't see the sense in fighting just to fight. There's got to be a reason."

"But there is a reason."

"And what is it?" Van demanded.

Dilandau fell silent.

"You see? You can't even come up with an explanation."

Van caught the discreet smile on Folken's mouth and realized with amazement that he and Dilandau were having a nearly decent conversation instead of trying to hack each other to pieces. The same thing had apparently dawned on Dilandau as well.

Dilandau made a face and turned his back. "Since we can't spar with each other anymore, I'll just find someone else."

Van let himself fall back on the grass. He remained that way even as the sun fell from the sky, which slowly shifted from pale blue to salmon red. From the corner of his eye, he could see Folken leaning harmlessly against a silvery birch tree as if he was waiting for Van to say something. Van scowled in annoyance at having Folken hover over him like a protective mother. It made it difficult to think.

"Are you going to stand there the whole day?" Van asked irritatedly.

"Just as long as I need to."

"I was planning to spend the time alone, Folken. I don't need you here."

Folken peered at him through half lidded eyes, weighed down with weariness. "There comes a time when you will seek comfort in the company of others, but by then it will be too late."

Van stubbornly ignored him and continued staring at the dusky sky overhead. It was so silent that Van wondered if Folken was still there. His eyes flickered over to the vacant birch tree. Folken had indeed left. He sighed and turned his head to the side, nearly choking with surprise. Someone had sat down beside him. The girl was looking down, her hair covering her face. His heart pounded as he wondered if it was Hitomi. He had not realized that he had been staring until she turned to face him, smiling gently. It was . . . it was Hitomi!

He sat up and grabbed her arms. "Hitomi! When did you get back?"

She did not answer him. Did something happen on the Mystic Moon? He closely examined her face for any signs of grief or trouble but he detected nothing. This wasn't like her. He was usually was able to easily see through her because she was never able to hide anything from him or anyone.

"Is something wrong?" she asked him.

He shook his head. This was almost like deja vu . . . this vague familiarity but he couldn't recall what it was. He looked at her again and then it finally hit him. That wasn't Hitomi but Eni. How was it possible that he had never noticed their likeness before? Eni had been living in his own home and he never noticed. There was nothing to give her away because she had been so cleverly disguised. How cunning.

Eni glanced at him with knowing eyes. She wrapped her hands around her legs and leaned her head against her knees. She looked so small and vulnerable right now Van almost forgot that she had tried to kill them. "It's ironic, isn't it?"

"What is?"

"Even though you're king, I don't feel like you are. I feel as if I've known you all your life." Eni's smile faltered. "Fate changes the course of things. I could have killed you, but I didn't. You could have died, but you didn't. She could have died but she didn't either. It's funny, I envied her."

_Envied . . . ? _His eyes fell to the ground, observing the rustling grass blades. Their conversation had taken an intimate turn.

"In the short time that I was able to be with you, I actually fell in love." Her smile turned scornful but lost its malice a second later. "I can see why she loves you."

"Why are you telling me this?" he demanded, feeling slightly perturbed.

"I just felt that you needed to know." Eni stood up and extended a hand. "Will you come with me?"

He hesitated at first but grabbed her hand as he got up as well. Perhaps she was going to explain some things to him and clear this mess up. She gave his hand a tiny squeeze as she lead the way. She looked back at him. "I never did find out who shot that dart at me."

Van remembered that night. Merle had sneaked out and aimed the clover needle at Eni. He knew, but should he tell her? "I—"

"It was Merle, right?"

He nodded.

She seemed pleased with herself. "I thought as much. She's a sneaky one. I'm sure she had her reasons for doing that."

"Where are we going exactly?"

"You'll see."

They walked across a narrow path to the other side of the forest and into the grounds of the temple. She lead him into the temple and together they knelt down before the gods. Even though he came here often, this time it felt different. He felt certain there was a purpose why she brought him here. Eni lifted her head up and gazed at the statues. Van wondered what she was thinking about.

"I used to come here all the time," she began on her way out of the temple. "I always felt protected in this little temple. Did you know, the Half-Moon Goddess did more than signify the counterparts of nature? She brought a small fruit with her when she descended to Gaea. She gave the fruit to the first man she saw who was to then bury its seed in the ground."

"I never knew that," he marveled as he followed her.

"Of course you didn't. It was something I heard from one of the old villagers. I think she was the daughter of the daughter of a storyteller. Anyway, the seed represented the hope and salvation the people of Gaea had prayed for."

"Did it give it to them? Hope and salvation?"

"It did . . . for a time."

"What—"

"I was getting to it. Their hope was destroyed when they gave it up for the advanced technology a foreigner was able to forge in Gaea. They had mistaken the technology as a sign of salvation."

"Not every one has. If you're talking about those in the Zaibach Empire, then I understand but Fanelia still has faith."

"No, even Fanelia has partially abandoned its hope. The guymelefs are part of a different, ancient technology. But was it not created for the same purpose? You need it to save yourself and your kingdom. The seed the goddess brought with her was not supposed to have been cast aside. The people on Gaea were supposed to nurture it and watch it blossom as it spread unity to all. There would be no more wars, lost feuds, no more hatred and greed."

"You sound like Hitomi," he remarked, mostly to himself.

"Do I?" she said without a hint of surprise. "I was created from her DNA."

"Created?"

Eni stared out at the setting sun before answering. "Yes, created by injecting her blood into my veins. It was a permanent operation where my doppelganger powers fused together with her DNA. It was terribly painful. I can no longer revert to my original form."

"The Madoushi did this to you."

She nodded, and turned to him with a bright smile. "It's probably better this way. I won't have to take the lives of other people anymore. I can live freely and safely."

"What do you plan to do now?" Van leaned on the hilt of his sword, watching her movements. He realized that even if she had tricked him into believing that she was Hitomi, he still felt some sort of affection for her.

"I don't know," she replied softly. Her eyes brightened as if some thought had occurred to her. "I would like to make a request. Is that all right with you?"

"Yes, I guess."

"Will you show me the love that you have for Hitomi?"

He looked up startled, feeling a little embarrassed. "Why?"

"I want to know what it feels like." Eni made it sound as if she was going to die the next day or something like that. She leaned in. "Just pretend that I'm Hitomi. After all, we're identical."

"Uh, what do you want me to do?"

"Anything."

He nearly flinched. He did _not_ want to seem like a pervert. "Well, what do _you_ want to do?"

"Let's have a nice dinner, you and I."

"That sounds fine."

Eni clung tightly to Van's arm as they searched for a small, quiet diner. Van looked down and saw the happy expression on her face and felt a little guilty. He would try to love her as Eni, not Hitomi. It was just this once and he was sure Hitomi would understand. When they had been seated and had ordered their food, Eni reached across the table and placed a hand over his.

"Thank you," she said. "This means a lot to me."

"I hope it turns out the way you want it to."

"It will. What do you like about me?" she suddenly asked.

Crap. He didn't know. How was he going to answer? His brows furrowed as he searched for something he admired in her. "I think it's your ability to keep on going even if you feel lost and confused at times."

She smiled absently, and Van knew he had said the right thing. They ate mostly in silence and left, walking hand in hand down a grove of sweet smelling trees. They stopped at the hill behind the palace and talked the night away. Laughing together and even crying together.

"The sun's rising over the horizon," she said liltingly. She turned and brought her arms around his waist, burying her head in his chest. Van hesitated but returned the embrace. Then she looked up and kissed him long and softly.

"This is what she must have felt," Eni uttered breathlessly. "I'll remember it always."

Van didn't know what to say.

"It's time for me to go, Van. You really are Fanelia's beloved king. Well, then, goodbye."

"Goodbye, Eni."

He felt a strange emptiness when Eni had gone. It was not how he had felt when Hitomi disappeared in that beam of light. Rather, it felt like a loss one suffers for a deceased. Something told him he would never see her again. He began to chase after her but found that she was no where to be seen. He didn't know where to look for her. Just a head of him, about a hundred yard or so, a wild commotion broke out. Van heard shouts and shrill cries. As he came closer, the sounds rose in volume. What was happening?

Van was able to spot Eni from where he was standing. A Zaibach soldier was attacking her! Eni had her arms crossed in front of her to protect herself. With the tightly packed crowd in his way, Van could not see a way to get to her and help her. Unless . . .

"Make way for your king!" he shouted.

Talk was abruptly cut off as every eye was placed on his royal being. There were muffled whisperings, shocked voices expressing the excitement the body and soul felt. The crowd parted, giving enough room to fit two full grown elephants. The Zaibach soldier and Eni continued their battle as if nothing had happened. There were several more Zaibach soldiers standing on guard in the back. If something were to go wrong they would immediately take action.

Van was about to call out Eni's name but stopped himself. The townspeople did not know that there were two Hitomi and he couldn't risk any confusion right now. They were already riled up as it was. Some were even shouting at him.

"Tell them to take her!"

"We don't want to them to hurt us!"

"Please, my lord, have mercy on us."

He thought they were being a little too dramatic but if he was afraid like they were he would probably do the same thing.

"Come willingly and we will not harm you," said the Zaibach soldier.

"No. I don't want to go back there."

"But Emperor Dornkirk has need of you."

"Well, you can tell him to f-ck off!" Eni spat angrily.

"Then, I have no choice but to annihilate you." The soldier drew his sword and impaled Eni with it before anyone could have time to react. Eni slumped to the ground, the sword sliding out of her body. The soldier wiped his blade clean before jamming it back in its sheath.

Gasps rippled through the crowd, bodies moved against each other either to get away from the scene or to get a closer look. The Zaibach soliders rounded together and marched mechanically out, leaving the victim of their kill for all to witness. Van rushed over and tried to get her to talk to him.

"You knew this was going to happen, didn't you?" he said accusingly.

She smiled painfully. "It's what Fate asked of me and I agreed."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"It wasn't . . . for you to know."

"I could have saved you . . ."

"I had to die . . . so Hitomi could . . . could come back . . . as a god."

"I don't understand."

Eni's breathing had become short, ragged gasps. "People had to see . . . see me die." She swallowed thickly and continued in a low voice. "They would think . . . she is the Half-Moon goddess . . ."

She said something else but Van could not hear it. He leaned down so close his ear was almost touching her lips. ". . .come . . . to save . . . them . . ."

When she did not say anything after that, he knew she had died. What else did she know?

_What else?_

_

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_


	22. Tainted Feather

**Disclaimer: **The Vision of Escaflowne is the property of Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment. I do not own the Vision of Escaflowne or its characters.

A/N: Ahhhhhh! It's been tooo long. Yea, I've been quite busy. I do hope you enjoy this chapter even though it's extremely short. I think this is the shortest chapter I've ever written! Thank you for reviewing. So cool.

* * *

**Chapter 22**

**Tainted Feather**

**

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**

Hitomi peered around and was reassured that this was her room. She parted the curtains a way to find that it was early morning. Only a few birds were chirping their cheery songs. Not long ago she had "arrived" home. It amazed her how quickly she was able to traverse between the two planets. But the time zones were way off. The sun was still up when she was on Gaia but when she arrived home, it was some time between midnight.

"Hitomi!" came her mother's voice.

Hitomi welcomed the familiar sound and lay still on the bed. She didn't feel like moving just yet. She missed everything she had. She missed the softness of her bed, the sweet aroma of her room, and especially the warmth of her mothers embrace.

"WAKE UP! You're gonna be late—"

Why did this sound so familiar? Hitomi was about to go downstairs when she heard the shift of the wood floor and knew that it was her mother.

"Hitomi, honey, are you up yet? Your little friend, what was her name . . . Yukari! She is waiting for you downstairs."

School. How many days had it been since the last time she was home? The clockwork here could possibly differ to that of Gaea's. She scanned the contents of her room. It looked exactly the same as the day she had left. The pencil on her desk was still there. The books, too.

There was her uniform. Waiting for her to put it on and go to school like a typical teenage girl. And Yukari . . . how was she? Was she all right that Amano didn't have feelings for her but did for Hitomi? She nearly forgot about that. Her mind had been so full of her time on Gaia that it had simply been pushed into a dark corner.

She found Yukari eating a rice ball her mother had made. When Yukari saw Hitomi, she hugged her with the strength of ten sumo wrestlers. "Hey, Hitomi! I missed you so much!"

Hitomi could not get the feeling of deja vu out of her head. Goosebumps swam up and down her arm so that she had to suppress a shiver.

Yukari finished eating and squeezed Hitomi's arm. "Come on. I have something to tell you."

_Something?_ What would Yukari need to tell her? Even before she said it, she knew what she was going to say. Time seemed to stop at that instant. "What is it?"

"It's about Amano," she whispered as she leaned close.

Hitomi heard the pounding of her heart in her ears. "Is he alright?"

"Come."

As Yukari pulled Hitomi along, Hitomi's mother shoved a rice ball in Hitomi's hand. "I will not allow you to leave this house without breakfast."

"Okay, Mother." Hitomi felt as if she was watching a video recording. Everything that was happening seemed to have happened before.

The silence seemed to drag on as she and Yukari made their way to school. Finally, Yukari turned to Hitomi. "Where were you yesterday after school? I tried calling you on your beeper but you never called me back."

Yes, this definitely happened already. Hitomi remembered it clearly. The next words Hitomi was going to say were, "Are you sure?" And Yukari would say, "Yes, I wanted to talk to you about Amano." Hitomi would then ask, "What is it?" And Yukari would say that Amano had feelings for Hitomi. Why was time rewinding itself here? On Earth?

"Are you sure?" Hitomi asked.

"Yes. I wanted to talk to you about Amano."

Just go with the flow. She nearly laughed. That was something Van would say. "What is it?"

Yukari's eyes lowered. "He said . . . he has feelings for—"

This was where Hitomi was supposed to put her hands over her ears. It felt funny, forcing herself to repeat the actions she already knew she was going to do. "Stop, Yukari."

"It's not what you think, Hitomi. Amano has feelings for you."

She looked up, just as she had done before. "What?"

By this time, the school loomed ominously before them. Yukari went on ahead as Hitomi trudged behind. In class, Hitomi found it difficult to pay attention. She was scolded quite a few times for daydreaming. This happened before too, except this time she was thinking about different things. When school was over, Hitomi knew Yukari wasn't going to be waiting for her. On her way home, she saw a white flicker from the corner of her eyes. She ignored it at first but then the white thing became a begrudging nuisance. It was like a bug flying around her eye.

She turned her head as something light and soft brushed past her cheek. It was a feather. Where had it come from? She looked around but saw no birds in sight. She did not recall this ever happening the last time. Could it be that Van was calling out to her? To tell her to come back to him?

She wanted very badly to do that. She felt as if her heart had been wrenched from her breast still beating and thrown into the ocean. But she could not bare to watch people inflicting pain to one another. Was it so hard to live peaceably? Then she realized with a shock that she had given the Council of Advisor suggestions on how to defend Fanelia—using violence! To use arrows, rocks, javelins! What was she thinking? This wasn't like her at all. Had she changed so much? She didn't realize how different she was now.

Suddenly she felt very afraid. This uncertainty was something she wasn't used to. She always knew what she wanted and didn't want. She felt like a sheep led astray by a tempting blade of grass while the flock was on the right path following their shepherd.

"Just go with the flow, Hitomi."

Yes, Van would definitely do that. He did everything on impulse, never explaining why. Never hesitating. _Van, I'm trusting you on this. I'm coming back. Don't you make me regret it!_

_

* * *

_

"_What?_"

"Yes, Dilandau, I believe it is absurd as well but we must. It's the only way," Folken calmly reassured.

"But—but it's just ridiculous! I can't do that. I'm a soldier, Folken. Not a goddamn assassin."

"Hush, any louder and you'll give us away."

Dilandau scowled. Did Folken accidentally hit his head on an anvil? Dilandau could not believe Folken was suggesting this. _Kill the Emperor!_ Until Folken gave a good enough reason, Dilandau would do no such thing. "Why don't you go do it yourself?"

"I was planning on that if I couldn't convince you."

Dilandau crossed his arms. "I'm not convinced."

"Then, I have no choice but to take matters into my own."

"You sound like some madman."

Folken chuckled softly. "Yes, I often think that."

"Stupid."

"I better go. There's much to do."

Dilandau stood up, startled. "I don't believe it. You're actually going to do it."

"I said I was, did I not?"

"I was only kidding about doing it yourself."

"Youmay have but I wasn't," said Folken. He pulled his cloak tighter around himself. "Please let me know if you change your mind."

Dilandau's scowl deepened. In all the years that he had known Folken, he was certain Folken was one who liked to solve everything peacefully. Dilandau couldn't picture Folken stabbing the Emperor with a sword. He almost laughed. It was too weird.

He wasn't exactly for Folken's plan but he wasn't against it either. The Emperor was no concern of his. He didn't care. He didn't even know what he wanted. He didn't even smack his slayers around like he usually did. He caught them asking whether he was okay. It was actually better for them that he wasn't in the mood to hit them but for some reason they thought it strange that he didn't. Did it have something to do with Hitomi? She didn't like bloodshed but she didn't have to run away like that. Only a . . .

". . . coward would do that." He snorted. She _was_ a coward for running away. Did she actually think the problems would just go away on their own? Actually, he was like that once. He ran away from Reinse. Away from that bastard's sick experimentations. How would he feel if Dilandau did that to him? But that was beside the point. Dilandau had sought protection from Folken to get away from Reinse. But did that really make him a coward? To want to save oneself? Was his reason justified enough to not be cowardly?

If he killed Reinse . . . he would no longer have to deal with that son of a b-tch. He laughed quietly. In the end, violence was the only way. What was Hitomi thinking? There will always be violence, death, bloodshed, war, and all that. What was she thinking? There will _be_ no end to it.

Speaking of that, he and Van had had no contact since Hitomi left. It was better that way. They would only start fighting if they ever saw each other.

"I guess if I can get Folken to help me kill Reinse, I'll help him kill the Emperor," Dilandau muttered as he lazily got up and went to look for Folken.

* * *


	23. Honest Requiem

**Disclaimer: **The Vision of Escaflowne is the property of Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment. I do not own the Vision of Escaflowne or its characters.

A/N: Hello again! And thanks for reviewing. I must admit (though I feel incredibly horrible for doing so) that I've lost a little heart in this fic. Lately, it's been hard getting any motivation to start typing. I have all these ideas in my head but they have nothing to do with this fic! Really, it makes me sad. I started out really loving it. I'm sure some inspiration will find its way to me! I won't give up. Enjoy, readers of mine!

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**Chapter 23**

**Honest Requiem**

**

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**

_I think I'm the one insane. _Dilandau crossed his arms and frowned as he watched Folken. "I don't get it. You were the one who always told me not to resort to violence as a way to destroy my enemy."

Folken peered halfheartedly at the array of weapons in front of him. "But you never listen to me."

"Of course not."

"See? If you don't listen to me, why do I have to listen to myself?"

"But that's different! You're . . . _you._ You have to listen to yourself. I just can't see you doing anything like that."

"That's why you're here."

Dilandau straightened up. "I never said I was going to do it for you."

"There's no need to. I know you already will."

"I really must be insane," Dilandau muttered moodily. He leaned back against the cool wall. "What suddenly motivated you? To actually plan on a murder? This isn't like you."

"I must admit. My nonviolent reasonings have been completely ineffective. Dornkirk won't simply listen to me anymore. I think . . . he may be aware of what I'm planning to do," Folken said carefully as he picked up a short, silvery dagger.

"What makes you say that?"

"Lately, I've been feeling extremely exposed, as if a giant magnifying glass was aimed at me, following my every move. Even when I'm showering."

"I thank you for the unnecessary details." Dilandau shuddered. "At least I feel better knowing I'm not the only victim of perverted bastards. Still, it's sick."

"I was kidding about the last part. Anyway, you want something in return . . . isn't that right?"

Dilandau gave a wicked smile. "You know me well, Strategos."

"Again, Dilandau? You know I've never been fond of that name." Folken slipped a small dagger into his sleeve, but then took it out again and placed it back on the table. "Reinse . . . he's a clever man, Dilandau. His experimentations have produced enormous success. Dornkirk is very much pleased with him."

"And I needed to know that because?"

"He will have guards hovering over him at all times. Dornkirk wouldn't want anything to happen to his precious scientist now, would he?"

"Do you really think I'm that stupid?" Dilandau asked, scowling. "I know his perimeter best. I've been around there more than enough. I know where every one of those blasted guards are stationed. But Reinse has a black device I can't touch. That's where you come into play. I need you to destroy it."

"Oh? What is the black device supposed to? Is it so dangerous that even I am compelled to destroy it?"

The mere mention of it was enough to make his legs shake. Dilandau clenched his teeth and forced the fear out of his mind. For gods' sake he was not going to let it control him. "Just get rid of it."

Folken watched him curiously before turning away from the table of weapons. "Take care of yourself, Dilandau."

Dilandau felt a little surprised by Folken's last words. Normally, Folken didn't say those sort of things to him. It made him feel uneasy. It made him ponder if something was going to happen. He laughed, scowling at the same time. What was there to fear? Fear . . . he loved it. He loved its eerie excitement. He loved the way it made him feel. He also loved how it always coupled with danger. It made him want to seek it out and see how it would retaliate. Would it wrap its cool tendrils around his heart and force his pulse to quicken wildly? Or would it abandon him, leaving behind an empty shell to play with?

"What an idiot I've become," he smirked. Did he honestly enjoy the fear inside him whenever he saw Reinse? No. _No._ That fear had was its own master. That fear clogged his throat and forced the air down to the pit of his stomach. It paralyzed him and made him tremble to the point he thought he would collapse. "You like it, don't you? Of course you do. You're the only one who's sick enough to plunge your hands in my misery."

"Dilandau . . . sir? Who are you talking to?"

Dilandau quickly looked up and saw Chesta's bright face looking back at him, eyes full of concern. Dilandau's hand instantly lashed out but missed its target. He let out a scornful laugh. "It appears I've lost my edge."

"Sir?" asked a fearful Chesta.

"Next time knock before you help yourself to my room."

"Yes, sir."

"What did you need?"

"Well, dinner's been served. When you didn't come we . . . we were a little concerned."

"Oh, is that all? You didn't need to come all the way over to tell me that." Dilandau turned back to the table. Metal gleamed malevolently back at him. He grinned and caught Chesta's reflection. "You're still here."

"I'm sorry, sir. I'll leave now."

"No. You can stay a while. I need you to take these back anyway." Dilandau gathered up the leathery cloth the weapons lay upon and placed them in the metal container. His hand paused on the cold rim. "Chesta . . . have I changed?"

"Well . . ." Chesta appeared ready to accept a stinging punch or run away.

"Just tell me, dammit. I'm feeling merciful today."

"Just a little . . . ?"

He frowned. "Huh. I see. You can go now."

"Uh . . . good day, sir."

Dilandau impatiently waved him off and slumped back on his bed. He sighed, feeling the burden of the task before him. He was behaving so well and now he would have to get his hands dirty. That scared him a little. He had indeed changed. He couldn't recall ever hesitating to wield his sword. His fingers absently reached for the scorching warmth of red hot flames. "I guess it's time again."

As he headed out to the hallway, a Zaibach soldier ran past him, yelling out to those around him, "Prepare for immediate engagement! Emperor Dornkirk has discovered the whereabouts of the girl! She's here. She's here!"

_She's back? Dornkirk's moving unreasonably fast._ He rushed back inside his room and grabbed his sword.

* * *

"Hitomi!" Van exclaimed, startled.

She grinned at him, hands on her hips. "I'm back."

He suddenly seized her by the arm and crushed her against him. "It's been awhile."

"Reeary? (Really)" she managed to say. Her face was suffocated against his chest. She freed her head. "How long?"

He scratched his head. "I forgot."

She couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. "Jeez, you could have at least made in effort to count the days."

He grinned mischievously. "Just kidding. It's been almost two months."

"Two months! I was only on Earth—the Mystic Moon—for one day." The time differences never failed to shock her. But for that much time to elapse! It felt impossible but it was real. "Has anything happened? Did Zaibach do anything?"

"No. Nothing. That's what concerns me. They have always been on the move but suddenly it's as if they've ceased all activity. Duke Chid reported nothing of their doings. King Aston as well. At this moment, Allen is gathering bits of information. I think they may be plotting in secret. It isn't like them to claim that they 're on truce with the countries. Something is going on."

"It's a wonder why I'm never able to catch Allen. What about Folken? He hasn't said anything to you?"

Van shook his head. "I haven't talked to him since you left. Dilandau seemed to have calmed down quite considerably."

"I knew he could do it. I'm relieved you two stopped fighting each other."

"Tell me, Hitomi . . . do you really feel that way? Or is it that you want him to live as well?"

Was that jealousy she heard in his voice? Huh! He thought she felt that way about Dilandau . . . She only thought of him as a friend. "Will you be satisfied once he's dead? I don't want anyone to die, Van."

"I know that," he muttered.

"Have you seen Eni since last time? I'm worried about her."

"I . . . she . . ." Van ran his hands through his hair. "I don't know how to put it."

Something was wrong. Hitomi could hear it in his voice. "Tell me."

"She's gone, Hitomi. I saw her die. It was strange. It was like watching you die."

Indeed, it was strange. Was that why Van was crying? Did he feel that he somehow lost her when Eni died? Was it that he didn't want to really lose her because she might not return once she made it to the Mystic Moon? Death here in this world seemed a natural thing. Like it happened everyday. Well, it did but in this quite little corner of the world, was it rare to witness the death of a person so often? Van probably killed and seen more deaths to last him a lifetime. "You know, I once thought she was truly evil but I think she only wanted to prove herself. That she was alive, that she more than just a tool."

Van nodded his head. "I think so, too. She said something I couldn't really understand. She said that she had to die to make you a god—as the Half-Moon goddess. I don't see it though. You still look like you. Do you feel any different?"

"No . . . it doesn't make sense to me either."

"Lord Van! My King! My King! Balgus-sensei! Someone!" yelled a frantic voice outside the window. "Come quick!"

Van ran over to the window and peered out. Hitomi saw that it was the son of a renown town member. A look of fear was etched across his pale face. _What happened?_ The young man caught Van's eyes with evident relief, as if a great burden had fallen from his shoulders. Hitomi watched as the young man began to blurt out his urgent message.

"Down by the river—Zai-Zaibach soldiers! I was tending my father's nets when I heard them. At first, it sounded like a distant rumbling, like the sound of thunder. But as I listened the sound grew louder and the ground shook with each rumble. I saw a glimpse of their guymelef when a branch snagged their invisibilty cloak. I thought they were going to trample our camp," he said in a rushed voice.

"Thank you. Go quickly and tell the others. Have them evacuate to the temple." Van frowned deeply once the boy was gone. He buried his face in his hands. "We were living so peacefully . . . and now this."

Hitomi admired his calm resolve. She felt awful. It felt like this was her fault. Every time she was there something terrible always seemed to follow. It made her feel worse when she saw the anxiety on Van's face. She bit her lip. She would do something about it. She couldn't stand and watch while everyone else suffered because of her.

"Don't go anywhere," Van ordered as he grabbed his belt and fastened it around his waist. He slipped his sword in the loophole provided. "I want you to stay here. They may want to take you again. I want to see you here when I return."

Wouldn't it be safer if she was with him? Obviously that thought never occurred to him. Hitomi crossed her arms and stood with her chin tilted up in a pure act of defiance. "Is that all?"

He peered at her curiously. "You're up to something. I can see it by the gleam in your eye. Tell me, what is it?"

"Are you sure you're not seeing things?"

For a moment Hitomi thought Van was going to probe even further but instead he stuck his hand in his hair and ruffled it and then surprised her with a quick kiss. "Maybe I was."

_Have you no shame?_ the voice inside her head asked. Yes, yes, she had no shame! But nonetheless she did feel guilty—if only a little. He just wanted to see her when he came back so all she had to do was make it back before he did. Hitomi waited for several minutes after he had left before she stealthily made her down the hallway, deep in the friendly embrace of its shadowy darkness. In her hands she gripped the complement of Van's sword. If Van thought she was going to sit back and relax, he was wrong.

The bone jarring rumbles she felt as she weaved through the dense forest told her that Van was already piloting Escaflowne. She was careful to hide beneath the safety of the overlapping leaves of mingling branches as she covered ground. A drip of sweat rolled down her temple. She quickly wiped it away and nearly fell flat on her face trying to follow the direction that Escaflowne was heading. She didn't know how long she had been running but the fast pace filled her with a sense of exhilaration. It was just like track, pushing herself to see how fast she could run and feeling the burn in her thighs.

"We meet again, Hitomi."

"Dilandau!" she gasped as she came to an abrupt stop. She leaned her hand against the grating trunk of a nearby tree and tried to catch her breath. "What is Zaibach doing here?"

"You're incredibly slow. Why else would we be here?"

"To capture me . . ." Staying behind inside Van's fortress didn't seem like such a bad idea now. "You don't need me."

"I don't, but the Emperor does."

"Why does he need me? There's nothing special about me. I'm human just like you and everyone."

"That's his business. I just do what he tells me." Dilandau jumped down from his Oreides and extended his hand. "Be a good girl now and come with me."

"There's no need to try seducing me with that act," Hitomi said curtly.

"What? Who would want to seduce you? I'm trying to appear harmless."

"Why does it look so suggestive then?"

Dilandau threw Hitomi a bewildered look. "What the hell is the point of this conversation? I don't see it going anywhere."

"It wasn't supposed to! I was trying to distract you but apparently I did a better job than I thought."

"Are you trying to imply something?"

"Figure it out yourself."

"I didn't expect you to actually tell me what you were trying to do so you're pretty stupid yourself," he retorted.

"Dilandau, sir! What are you doing?" came Chesta's anxious voice from Oreides' intercom. "Who are you talking to?"

"He sounds like your wife or something," remarked Hitomi.

"You be quiet," Dilandau warned. "Stay here."

He climbed up Oreides's crouched form and flipped a switch. "Continue the patrol. Let me know if something happens."

"You didn't tell him I was here."

"Of course I didn't," he suddenly snapped. "Folken is trying to protect you. I've been wasting my time trying to get you to come with me because _you_ were trying to distract me."

"How was I supposed to know? You could've at least told me in the beginning. I wouldn't have gone through the trouble of trying to make you understand what I was saying!"

Dilandau suddenly laughed. "This . . . this feels familiar. This bickering of ours. It's almost nostalgic."

Hitomi stopped herself from blurting out that it should. She had forgotten that Dornkirk had Dilandau's memories altered. "Do you remember anything? About me?"

"I don't know why Folken would want to protect you. But I owe him and that is why I'm doing this. Otherwise, I wouldn't concern myself with this trivial scheme."

_Hah, he didn't say he didn't remember. _A discreet smile danced across Hitomi's lips.

* * *


	24. Fragile Plight

**Disclaimer: **The Vision of Escaflowne is the property of Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment. I do not own the Vision of Escaflowne or its characters.

* * *

**Chapter 24**

**Fragile Plight**

**

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**

Hitomi sat down in the chair inside some sort of office looking room that belonged to Folken and sighed. She remembered the hasty flight to Vione in the wild clutch of the Chlima Claw. Under the safety of the invisibility cloak, they tread beneath the thick coverage of dense, overlapping tree branches. The pounding of guymelefs all around her signified that a war was waging between Fanelia and Zaibach. She did not want to see the results of it because she feared for the worst. If anything, Van would lose Fanelia. She knew how much it would hurt him if that ever happened.

While she watched the greenery as they whipped by her, she sensed deep inside her as if she was running away from it all. She felt as if she had betrayed Van and the inhabitants of Fanelia. All for her safety. Was that so selfish of her? To want to protect herself.

_Yes, it was, my little one,_ whispered the voice of her grandmother.

She was suddenly filled with images of children suffering, lost without their parents who had died amidst the battles fought by giant humanoids. Houses were burned down and walls were left with gaping holes. For some reason, images of raging fires appeared in every one of her made-up plots. A sense of dread filled her whole body and the guilt continued to grow.

Well, it was too late to turn back now. She had left and here she was on Vione, waiting for Folken. The massive double doors opened but it was only Naria.

"Will you please come this way?" she said in a stiff, formal voice.

Hitomi had the sudden urge to blurt out, "You don't have to be so formal. It makes you look uncomfortable." But she didn't. Hitomi had a feeling that Naria would rather be out in the battle grounds with Eriya than confining herself inside her room. Whatever the reason, Hitomi was sure it had something to do with Folken. Eriya had once given hints that she was in love with Folken. Perhaps Naria felt the same way too.

She followed the tall, voluptuous woman down a dark passage way that opened into Folken's underground lab. She remembered it very well. Eriya had led her down there once before. A sudden pang of fear clawed at her heart. This was where Folken injected something into her and where everything began. Would she never have seen Van again? Why had they wanted her in the first place?

She had been living fine on Gaea for almost year already. She had grown close to Allen and Millerna, almost like family. And suddenly the crazed demi-god with wings snatched her away and brought her to Vione to collect his ransom. Hitomi later learned that money had been offered but he didn't take it. Van only took what was his and left. Hitomi admitted to herself that she had forgotten about him after. Her days had been filled each day with sword lessons and various other things. She remembered bickering with Dilandau quite a bit during her stay. And then she learned the inevitable truth.

Everything changed from that point on. It was as if she was living in a warped reality after. As if time itself had rewound and forged her a new life on Gaea. Like reincarnation except with massive defects. She had regained fragments of her memory and slowly, others who had been affected did too.

"Hello, Hitomi. It's nice to see you again," greeted Folken. That sounded like something an evil scientist said before he killed you. Hitomi nodded quickly and gave him an uncertain smile. Behind him was Dilandau who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. Folken must have seen the look on Hitomi's face because he said, "You remember this place?"

Hitomi nodded. "Yes, I do."

"I apologize for the troubles we've caused you. If I had only known then what Dornkirk's intentions were I would have never done it. But the past is the past. There is nothing we can do to change it. Well, now, you're safe here as long as you stay within the fortress's boundaries. Dornkirk cannot harm you. You are fortunate that he remains deep within the heart of his kingdom."

"What if he sends his forces up here?" asked Hitomi and Dilandau at the same time.

"I have some men who are loyal to me. And we have the Dragonslayers."

"What—I never agreed to this," Dilandau protested.

"But they are loyal to you and you are loyal to me. Isn't that right?" Folken inquired slyly. "They are willing to do whatever their leader asks of them. I am not wrong, am I?"

Truly, Folken did seem a little sinister just then. Hitomi's opinion of him was mostly a gentle, peaceable man. He spoke in soft tones and in a lilting manner. He carried himself with a meek but firm confidence. Hitomi watched as Dilandau made an unsightly face and nearly had to stifle a laugh. What would he do if he ever saw himself in the mirror?

"Does Emperor Dornkirk know that I'm here in this fortress?" asked Hitomi.

"I'm not certain of that, but knowing him, I think he does." Folken beckoned to Naria and whispered something to her in a low voice. She nodded and immediately left. What was Folken planning?

As if he had read her mind, he said, "We are on our way to the Empire. There is some business I need to attend to. If you will please excuse me."

Dilandau yawned and then flicked a pebble at Hitomi with the tip of his sword. "I guess this means I'll be busy for awhile."

"What makes you say that?"

"It's a secret," he grinned somewhat evilly.

Those two were hiding something from her. She knew enough not to concern herself with something she had nothing to do with but the curiosity was still there. From previous experiences, she found it better not to ask. Her tarot readings had also taught her not to deal with things she was not supposed to fiddle around with. It would only make things worst.

Dilandau gave her a curious look. "Aren't you going to ask?"

"Why would I want to? It's not my business."

"What a smart little girl you are. If I were you I would've discovered what the secret was by now. But I guess we are all created with individual characteristics."

"Do you remember anything? When I was here?"

He shook his head. "If it was with you then I'm sure it wasn't very important."

"Oh, yes, it was, Dilandau. I remembered something very shocking about you," she lied. Hitomi wondered if this would achieve the effect she hoped for. It did.

Dilandau leaned toward her. "What was it?"

She pretended to bit her lip in hesitation, but really she was fighting the urge to laugh at Dilandau's gullibility. "It was on a beautiful night that I discovered a terrible secret that you had."

"I have no secrets!" he exclaimed indignantly as he eyed her suspiciously yet eagerly.

"But this truly was a secret. You said that you would wring my neck if I ever breathed a word of it to anyone."

He seemed to have taken her words into consideration. Hitomi had to give herself credit for making it sound like something Dilandau would say. She saw how desperately he was yearning to know what this secret was and could hardly contain herself. "I was feeling restless that night and so I decided to take a stroll to ease my mind. The night air was so crisp and refreshing I could have stayed out in the halls all night but something stopped me. After a time it got a little chilly so I decided to go back inside the fortress but—"

"For gods' sakes get on with the story!"

Hitomi faked a cough, pretending to clear her throat. Her eyes watered as she stifled the giggles that rose up her throat. "I was just getting to it. Anyway, it started to get cold and as I was about to get my coat I heard a soft voice singing a very beautiful song. Curious, I followed the voice. The closer I drew the higher the voice sang until it reached the highest it could go. And then—and then I reached the fortress garden. Just as I was about to step foot into the garden the voice made a horrendous screech as it cracked. I thought my heart would die as I pitied the pour soul. But what shocked me more was who the voice belonged to!"

"Who was it?" Dilandau whispered as he leaned even closer.

Hitomi turned her head, unable to keep the grin inside. "It was . . . it was . . . it was _you."_

Dilandau's head snapped back like a snake who had just bitten someone. "You're crazy. That never happened! I wasn't singing that night. I was just looking at the flowers because Folken told me to! I can't believe you twisted the story like that."

"Ah, so you finally admit it," she smiled victoriously. "You _do_ remember. But tell me, why did you pretend that you didn't?"

He shrugged. "No reason. I just didn't feel like it. Besides, judging by what you just did or rather said, I think I'd prefer it if I remained ignorant of my past with you. It feels as if I have no privacy when you're around."

"I'm glad you enjoy my company."

He scowled. "You're fortunate I'm indulgent towards you. If you were one of my Dragonslayers I'd hit you so hard your bones would break."

"Then hit me."

"I said _if_."

"If you want to hit me so badly then do it. I don't mind."

Dilandau shoved her back and said in an unusually soft, gentle voice, "I don't think I've ever met anyone who was willing to let me hit them except you and Chesta. Go back to your room, Hitomi."

Hitomi paused at the doorway before leaving but Dilandau said no more. At that moment, Hitomi discovered that Dilandau wasn't as naïve as he sometimes seemed. No, naïve wasn't the word. He sometimes seemed oblivious to the things happening around him. As if he didn't give a damn if someone got hurt or if he got hurt. What was it that gave him this strength to ignore?

Somehow, she knew which was to take to reach her room and knew which was hers. Though her mind had probably forgotten, her body hadn't. It recalled all the routes she had taken and knew the steps to take her there. It made her reconsider how she poorly handled her own body and pushed her to consider taking better care of it. Already, she had multiple scars from childhood injuries to the present day. The most recent was . . . when was the most recent one?

When she entered her room, it felt as if she had stepped back in time. Everything looked as if it hadn't been touched in years. She could tell that the room was recently just cleaned by the hasty fold in the curtains and the careless little tuck of the bed spread. For some reason, the room seemed to have lost its dark, vibrant color. Instead it was replaced by a dull, lifeless atmosphere. Did Eni sleep here? Or was it another room?

Hitomi still wanted to know everything that happened to Eni. It must have been horrible. From all that she had heard about doppelgangers, she knew that they were either in their true forms or constantly switching identities. They were favored by those who wished to have an enemy murdered but did not want to involve themselves in the actual killing. How horrible it must have been to be forced into one permanent shape.

There must have been a history behind Eni's past. Something that caught Emperor Dornkirk's attention. There could be no other reason that Eni would be selectively chosen to undergo the experiment . . . Hitomi decided to look for Eni's room. On her way down past the cold, elusive metal-plated walls, she stumbled into Eriya.

"E-Eni?" Eriya stuttered in a half whisper. "Please tell me what I'm seeing is real."

"It's real," Hitomi reassure her. Eriya seemed on the verge of tears. "I'm not Eni, Eriya."

"I knew it was too real to be true," she sighed. She suddenly straightened up and threw her head back. "Ugh, it feels strange to be talking to you and thinking of Eni at the same time."

"Were the two of you close friends?"

"Yea. I would say we were. But not as close as she was with Naria. She idolized my sister. Eni never did develop a fondness for fighting. She was the type who liked to run errands and run things."

From the way Eriya talked about Eni, it seemed as though there was more going on then she was letting on. "Can you show me to Eni's room?"

"Sure. Why?"

"I just wanted to know what sort of person she was," Hitomi answered honestly. She believed that there were deeper intentions as to why Eni did the things she did.

"She's not the person you know," Eriya put in defensively. "If you had known her before you were confronted by her your opinion of her would not be as it is now."

Hitomi understood. Those who knew the intention of the so-called antagonist would know to sympathize, but those who didn't . . . there were no such feelings. The first impression a man gives to his fellows remains deeply embedded in their minds, changing little but growing always. Would it be a straw that breaks a camel's back? Would it take a massive amount of persuasion to move their thoughts and opinions beyond that first impression? "She's just like you and I, Eriya. We're looking for ways to find ourselves."

For a moment there, Hitomi thought Eriya was going to explode or cry or something but she smiled wearily. "I'm glad you understand. Here, this is her room. Please close the door after you're done."

"Thank you, Eriya."

She shook her head. "It's the best I can do to make up for what's happened to you."

Hitomi slowly circled the room and made note of every little detail in the event that it might give her a clue to Eni's identity. The colors of Eni's sheets were a cloudy gray. The curtains took on a muddled silver like the clouds during a violent thunderstorm. Even the smell of the room filled her with thoughts of smoky, zapping colors. It dragged her down, exhausting her mind, pulling her limbs to the the floor with its sorrowful whims. Hitomi pondered how Eni could stand such a dreary atmosphere.

Just a little under the side of the bed, Hitomi spotted the corner of some kind of book protruding from the covers. She knelt down and eased the book from the mattress. The book was worn at the edges but otherwise it was in excellent condition. She opened it to the front page and discovered a dedication written in a neat flourish.

"_Let it be said that the seeker will find. So seek_

_what ye cannot now and find what may not."_

_—Nameless One_

Hitomi turned the page and read the first entry.

_Entry #1: Forgive me, my people, for I have committed a terrible crime. I thought it would give me the freedom I so desperately sought. I chose freedom over my own life. How naïve of me. How foolish of me. And yet, I crave it more than anything. My pride no longer became an obstacle when I saw the open arms of freedom reach out to me. I accepted those arms and in doing so, I died inside. I am afraid of what the future has in store for me. This place is horribly suffocating. I cannot see the trees I used to climb. I cannot feel the soft, firm ground I used to tread. All I see and feel here are the cold metal walls and the silent rooms. I cannot hear the birds singing as they used to at home. It pains me so to lose the comforts I used to have. I must stop for now. They are calling for me. Oh gods, I am afraid._

As she read through several more she come upon the conviction that this was Eni's diary. The first entry must have been before they infused her blood into Eni's system. Hitomi was so absorbed in the diary that she had forgotten the passage of time. Her ears heard nothing but the illustrations her mind conjured as she consumed the words before her.

_Entry #2: What is this? I don't ever recall writing that first entry. The doctors told me I had fallen off a steep cliff and hit my head on something. That would explain why I don't remember many things. I feel unfamiliar with my body. Is this what it feels like to wake up after months of bed rest? Strangely, my limbs are functioning normally. There is no weakness or tenderness. Perhaps my body is more resilient than I imagined._

_Entry #23: Today is my last day on Vione. I am going to miss being in the company of Folken, Eriya, and Naria. Especially Naria. She has been exceptionally kind to me. She's taught me so much about life beyond these cold walls. I will be alone from now on. She tells me that the king of Fanelia is barely out of his boyhood. But I am just as young. There is a connection between him and Folken. Whenever he hears the boy's name, his eyes grow far and distant and it is best to leave him alone when he becomes like that. To think that I will finally achieve the freedom I have always longed for. To live for myself is truly what I desire but if I can just get a little of that while I'm in the Fanelian palace, I will be fine. It is nearly time._

_Can you believe it? I have a sister. A twin. I didn't even realize that I had a family until they told me. I want to know her first. I want to know what makes the two of us different, what makes us the same. I want us to be close, so close it would take a cleaver to tear us apart. Unfortunately, I am to "dispose" of her as soon as possible via Vione. And then I am to use whatever means possible to gain the king's confidence. Can I really do that? Am I so strong that I am to do this alone?_

_It is time. The journey begins at long last._

There were no more entries after that. Hitomi placed the diary back where she had found it between the mattresses. For a long time after that, Hitomi lay across the bed contemplating the events that had unfolded itself before her. Eventually her mind wandered and shefeel asleep.

* * *

"Dilandau, ready yourself. We are preparing the location for our stop," Folken informed.

"I'm ready," muttered Dilandau as he sat inside Oreides. He was to fly down as quickly as possible and cloak himself. Folken would follow half an hour later to decrease the risk of suspicion. He felt the floating fortress slow down and braced himself. It felt an eternity as his senses became aware of everything around him.

Folken finally gave the signal as Vione came to a stop. "Go!"

Dilandau launched himself so hard that it felt as if he had been catapulted rather than pushed from the cockpit. He shot straight down into the lush, densely packed forest. He didn't see the branch sticking right in front of him and crashed into it.

"Ahhh," he uttered as Oreides rocked from side to side as other branches jarred his guymelef like rapiers. He soon found his footing and nimbly threw the cloak around, hiding himself from view. He scanned the area around the Dornkirk's empire and found it heavily guarded by top ranking officers. He silently cursed his luck and looked for a route that would take him the least time and effort. As was planned, Folken came down thirty minutes later.

"How is our situation?" asked Folken.

"Well, we can go in directly from the front. There are less guards guarding the front than the back. They probably won't expect anyone to do anything that foolish. Or we can kill them all but that would simply take too long. And one last option. We could go and appear as ourselves hoping that they haven't heard the news that we've become traitors."

Folken was silent for such a long time that Dilandau was forced to turn in his direction. Finally, Folken spoke his thoughts aloud, "Though I do not agree with your method of extreme violence, I must say that we do have a time limit. We will go through the front as ourselves and take things from there. I do not want you to kill anyone. If it becomes necessary, just knock them out long enough for us to get in, do what we came here for, and get out."

"Yes, I heard. Now let's go before the day ends."

The thing Dilandau hated most about guymelefs was the fact that they made a hell of a lot of noise. Anyone would know and recognize the sound and stay on perpetual alert to see if it was the enemy or a fellow comrade. One mistake and a whole riot would start. Not very orderly or wise but in times of danger, it was only natural for the human and possibly stupid side of man to reveal itself. Dilandau calmly walked out in the open, hand ready to defend himself if anyone mistook him and attacked. Some of the stationed guymelefs turned to look but otherwise they left him alone.

Dilandau smiled dryly. They never knew that two traitors walked among them. How would they react if they ever found out the truth? When Dilandau and Folken reached the entrance, two of the top ranking officers halted them and demanded that they step down from their guymelefs. Folken complied and Dilandau only followed because Folken made him.

"Move aside," barked Dilandau.

"Are you Dilandau Albatou?" one of them asked for confirmation.

"Do I actually have to make myself known around here?" he said incredulously. Obviously, security had been tightened a notch. "Move aside before you walk home without a limb."

"Gentlemen, please let us through. We have urgent business to attend to with the Emperor," Folken politely rendered. "We will inform him of your loyalty to him."

"Our sincerest apologies, sirs." The guards bowed deeply and made way for Dilandau and Folken to enter the palace.

Once they were out of sight, Dilandau whispered to Folken, "Was it necessary to grovel at their feet?"

"It got us throught, did it not? And I prefer to call it a polite request. Grovel is such a harsh word," Folken reasoned in a soft tone.

"Indeed, grovel is such a degrading word. Isn't that right, my dear Dilandau?" oozed the oily, repulsive voice Dilandau knew so well.

* * *

A/N: Ah, another fic done. I finished it while I was half asleep. Lol. How unreasonable of me. Oh well, I found this chapter surprisingly easy and exciting to write. Please review! I like getting responses from you!

Just out of curiosity, do you prefer longer chapters or shorter ones? Or it doesn't really matter? I feel like I'm taking too long when I write long chapters and I don't know if you can wait that long. Lol. Just let me know what you think and I'll take it into consideration. The more who give their opinions the better! Thanks for reading and reviewing! Much love to you all. Sayonara! Until next time.


	25. Sacrifice for Redemption

**Disclaimer: **The Vision of Escaflowne is the property of Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment. I do not own the Vision of Escaflowne or its characters.

A/N: Hello again! Thanks for reviewing. I love you guys. Lol, some of you may be wondering what happened to Merle and no, I didn't forget about her. I just couldn't figure how she should come up in the chapter but I finally have it! I hope you like this chapter. I'm trying to update quickly since I've been so bad about it. If this was real life I'd be fired from writing ever again. Lol. I can't believe it's been a month since I last updated. Now I feel really bad. (Cries) Anyway! Thanks again and enjoy! And I do sincerely apologize for the late update!

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**Chapter 25**

**Sacrifice for Redemption**

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* * *

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Gone.

All gone. No longer was the magnificent wall that protected his country. No longer were the buildings that housed his people. No longer was his kingdom. It all lay in turmoil, never to be seen again in all its glory. He had turned his back only for a few minutes but when he turned around it was all engulfed in the raging fire. How eagerly it consumed and crumbled the paper thin walls. How jealously it licked the fabric that clothed the body.

He traversed the burning, deserted streets in an exhausted, frozen state. He forced his eyes to drink in the destruction and forced his mind to forever capture it. As long as he lived, he would not allow himself to forget this tragedy. This was the kingdom his father proudly reigned. The kingdom his mother dearly loved. The kingdom that Merle—Merle! Where was she?

Where was she? And Hitomi! He had forgotten about them. He had been so busy defending Fanelia's front that they completely slipped his mind. His head snapped from side to side and his ears strained to catch a note of their voice. But neither did he hear. He guided Escaflowne toward the palace, running at a fast pace, his breath coming in and out in loud puffs. His heart pounded in his ear like the music of a doomed sailor. The palace was better off than most of the other buildings. Though it was lit afire, the walls remained in tact. He quickly jumped down from Escaflowne and flew past the bloody field of dead soldiers into the throne room. Another score of slain men lay about, their blood soaking into the dark blue carpet. He ran up the stairs, past several doors, and into his room.

Niether Hitomi nor Merle were there. He backed out of the room and ran down countless hallways and corridors. It was until he made it into the stable that he heard the sounds of life. Something was moving about in the hay. Van was surprised it hadn't caught on fire yet. He knelt down and lifted off piles of hay. Underneath lay a sweaty, tear stained Merle. Her mouth had been gagged and her arms and legs were tied together. She whimpered with relief and joy as soon as she saw him. Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks as she tried to talk through the gag.

"Merle . . ." Van sympathized. He carried her out of the stuffy stable and placed her on the ground before proceeding with the removal of the ropes.

"Van!" she cried into his shoulder. "I was so scared, Van. Every thing's burning. Our home . . ."

Van smoothed down her hair and kissed her head. "I can't say every thing's fine now but for the moment we're safe. Who did this to you?"

"I didn't see . . . but I think . . . I think I saw a flash of red," she managed to say as her sobs began to recede. "It was so horrible. I could hear all that was happening but I couldn't do anything. I kept fearing I would be next to die!"

"I just hope everyone found their way safely to the upper grounds." Van ran his hands through his hair and sighed wearily. A flash of red . . . "I haven't seen Hitomi at all."

Merle shook her head. "I haven't either. Maybe she's with the others."

"I hope so," Van murmured. Red. Could it be? That _bastard._ Van balled his fists and clenched his jaw in anger. Was Dilandau behind this whole thing? Had he planned on destroying Fanelia until it no longer stood? "What were you doing before you were assaulted?"

"Doing? I was looking for Hitomi," she answered, a slightly quizzical look on her face.

This wasn't good. It was just as he feared. "I think Hitomi's in danger."

* * *

The instant the voice filtered through his ears and registered in his brain, Dilandau felt the blood leave his face and squeeze glutinously through his pounding heart. Not him. Not him. Dilandau felt instinct urge him to hide behind Folken but pride made him hold his ground and grit his teeth. He would not—would _not _let that man touch him. He would fight like a beast if he had to but he would not allow that man to touch him.

"Don't tell me you're feeling shy now? Come and greet me properly, Dilandau," coaxed Reinse with a malevolent gleam twinkling in his eyes.

Hatred filled his guts and made him want to jab a prong through that crazed bastard's heart. His lip lifted in disgust. "Why don't you cut the crap and say what you really want to say?"

"My, how cold you've become. If I did that, you wouldn't like it. Not at all. You'd only cower in your fury and mistake my words for something entirely different." Reinse's lips curled at the corners as he watched Dilandau's eyes burned with his true emotions.

Dilandau could hardly find enough control to contain himself. If he wanted things to turn out the way he had envisioned, he had to keep his feelings in tact. A sudden burst of anger would trigger an involuntary tremor to run down his arm, and thus weakening his grip on the sword. As a soldier, as a man fighting for his dignity, he would fight until death claimed either him or Reinse. He barely felt Folken's shimmering presence beside him and once the battle commenced he would not feel it at all. It was the only thing keeping him at bay.

_Folken, I'm counting on you. Destroy it before he uses it._ It was this black device that gave Reinse the upper hand over Dilandau. It had to be rendered useless. It must. Otherwise, Dilandau had a probability of less than ten percent of winning.

"Aren't you curious how I knew you were coming?" asked Reinse, slowly drawing his sword.

He didn't care. At this point, nothing reached him. "Not particularly."

"I'll tell you anyway. I was watching you the whole time, Dilandau. Didn't you feel it?" He snorted. "Of course you didn't. There was no way you could have known. I watched you through the Emperor's Destiny Prognosticator. I watched you come here and I waited for you."

Dilandau whipped his sword to the side. "Enough with your talk. I'm getting tired of watching your mouth flap around."

A vein appeared beside Reinse's left temple. Dilandau smirked. He didn't know how Folken was going to steal the black device away from Reinse but if he didn't get a move on it . . . The twitch of annoyance on Reinse's face was replaced by a crinkle of malice. He reached into his robe and pulled out a small black object.

Dilandau swore under his breath and tightened his grip on his sword, determined to remain calm. But what the hell was he supposed to do now? Folken was too late. Damn it, he was too late! He couldn't help but feel a little panicky. Beads of moisture began to perforate through his skin but he was determined to remain cool. "Are you so scared of me that you need to use that little piece of shit?"

Reinse's smile only widened, revealing a row of straight, white teeth. "No. Actually, it's to break your reserve. To make you so afraid of me that you can't even stand up right. So I don't have to even lift a finger. I wouldn't want to hurt my beautiful boy, now would I?"

Reinse lifted a long, steady finger and pressed it firmly on the top of the black device. It made a whirring sound, a sound that made Dilandau's ears ache, and quieted down after a few seconds. Strangely, Dilandau didn't feel anything right away. He braced himself for the wrenching pain in his chest but nothing came. However, he didn't let down his guard. He suspected the pain would come later. From the corner of his eyes, Dilandau saw Folken smile slightly.

It suddenly dawned on him. Dilandau immediately slashed right and made a deep cut in Reinse's arm. He would not be able to use a sword now. Reinse let out a howl of rage, which signaled in a squad of soldiers.

"Go have your little revenge. I'll take care of them," said Folken as he drew his own sword. Dilandau stared curiously at the Fanelian emblem on Folken's sword but didn't say anything.

He sheathed his own and immediately seized Reinse's throat with both hands before he had time to get very far. Slowly, he crushed it as if he was squeezing a giant sponge. His eyes flashed and he threw back his head, wild with laughter. He would take his time. He would kill this wretched man slowly and agonizingly.

"Pl—please, Dilandau. Have mer-mercy on m-me," choked Reinse. His fingers tried to pry Dilandau's hand away from his throat. Dilandau only tightened his grip.

Dilandau brought his face down so that they were only a few inches apart. "Have mercy? You're actually going to _beg_ me? You stupid, ugly man. When have you ever showed me mercy? This is just the beginning, Reinse. Before you die, tell me how you feel."

With one hand nailing Reinse's throat to the wall, Dilandau pulled a dagger from his belt and pointed it at Reinse's eye. Reinse whined and whimpered. Dilandau laughed softly. "Should I carve out your eye first? No, I want you to see it all. Should I cut it off down there? No? How about your nails? Should I peel back the nails and throw them in the fire? Not that either? What a picky man you are. I know, I'll cut off your ears."

Reinse's eyes widened as Dilandau edged the blade against the lobe of his ear. He made strangled, crying sounds that eventually grew louder and more frantic and turned into agonized screams as Dilandau slowly brought blade up the up, carefully taking his time. Blood trickled down his hand. Dilandau could see the pale pink flesh through the streaming blood and just to make it more painful, he grabbed the lobe and began ripping it off. Reinse struggled desperately, gasped haltingly, nearly mad with pain. About halfway, Dilandau stopped, disgusted with the blood on his hand but more with the half crying, half screaming pathetic man in front of him.

"No more. No more . . ." begged Reinse, tears streaming shamelessly down his face. "I beg you."

Had he, Dilandau, ever in his life looked so pitiful as that piece of trash kneeling at his feet?

No. He had never allowed himself to cry in front of Reinse. Why was it that when the situation is reversed, the other instantly turns into a damn coward? Where was his cruel face now? Where was that unruly confidence now?

Dilandau's guts filled with a hatred beyond imagination. It was so great that he didn't think killing Reinse would be enough. He was sick of that man, so sick he could not bare the thought of laying his hands on him anymore. It was an uncontrollable loathing that made him want to watch that man die the lowliest death possible. He knew that no one could ever compare to the level of animosity he felt for Reinse. Finally, he ground his teeth with such a force his jaw cracked and with both hands, wrenched the remainder of Reinse's ear off and threw it into the burning torch. Reinse's shrill screams echoed loudly off the walls. Dilandau punched him in the face several times and then broke both of his arms as a last final attempt to vent his volcanic anger.

"Get out of my sight," Dilandau growled, quaking with fury. "Don't ever let me see your damn face again. I'll kill you."

Reinse wept through swollen eyes. "Thank you, Dilandau. You're a good boy," he gasped. He turned and ran for his life, hunched over with pain, ear bleeding freely, and arms dangling at odd angles.

"That's right. Run, you bastard," muttered Dilandau bitterly.

In the end, he never got what he wanted. He sat down on the carpet, feeling spent. That was the nicest thing he had ever done for someone he was about to kill. Why did he have to be nice now? And that was going to be the last time. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the pillar. He hated Reinse so much he would do anything to make him suffer. A moment later, all was quiet. He could no longer hear Folken's sword slashing about. Dilandau wondered if he actually killed any of them.

"You knew, didn't you. You know I wouldn't do it . . . wouldn't kill him," he said quietly, eyes still closed. It came out as an accusation.

Dilandau felt Folken's shadow fall over him. "Yes, I did."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I wanted you to find out on your own. Dilandau, we still have work to do."

He sighed and dragged himself up. "When did you switch them? The black devices?"

"That's something you don't need to know. Do you think he went to tell Dornkirk?"

Dilandau stiffened. "I'll kill that bastard."

"I was only wondering. We won't know until we get there. Now, shall we go?"

As they left the room, Dilandau saw the soldiers lying on the floor with broken limbs twisting this way and that. So Folken didn't kill them after all. They passed many doors and many corners to find their destination. What lay beyond those thick, steel doors was a mystery to Dilandau. He had never seen the inside of Dornkirk's chambers.

"This is it, Dilandau. This is where it all ends." Folken pushed open the doors.

For a moment, Dilandau was blinded by a blanket of white but as his eyes adjusted he was blown away by the vastness of the chamber. There were mechanical gears every where he looked. Where was Dornkirk? He could be anywhere. As he and Folken made their way deeper into the chamber, a large steam jetting engine revealed itself to them. And all the way at the top of its peak sat Dornkirk with wires protruding from his painfully thin body. Dilandau was amazed he was able to stand the way he was right now, looking down at them with his thin arms supporting him.

"You've come for me, I presume?" he said in a deep, loud voice.

How the hell did he have the strength to speak with such force? Dilandau kept his hand on his sword in case it was some sort of trap they were walking into.

"How do I know, you must be wondering. You know very well, Folken. You know very well what that machine of mine is capable of and yet you still plot something as predictable as this. I knew a day would come when you would betray me to your beliefs. I knew your sharp mind would develop its own perceptions. And I knew you would not agree with my tactics anymore," Dornkirk continued eerily. "It saddens me a great deal to see a pupil of mine fall out of line."

"I don't believe I've 'fallen' yet. I have merely reached a level of understanding that you have not and could not teach me," was Folken's passive reply.

"You've come too late," he announced softly. "I have the girl in my possession."

"That's a lie," Dilandau spoke before he could stop himself. "It's not so easy to defeat my Dragonslayers."

"There was no need for that, Dilandau," Dornkirk laughed gently. "They believed me when I said sent them a message in your handwriting saying that you wanted to bring her here."

"How do I know you're not lying? They're not stupid enough to fall for that."

"You're right. They're not. But I am smarter. That's the difference between them and me."

Dilandau wanted to climb up and give him a smacking that would break his fragile body. "So where is she?"

Dornkirk beckoned to someone and said, "Come out, Hitomi."

From the depths of an inner chamber came forth a solitary figure. Behind Hitomi, with his hand on her shoulder, was General Adelphos. He didn't appear to have any evil intentions. Rather, he was just another pawn in this game of tug-o-war. Hitomi flashed a quick, tight smile at Dilandau as if to say she had not been given a choice. Dornkirk must have blackmailed her into coming here. But how did she get here faster than he and Folken? There was no way unless . . .

Unless Dornkirk knew. He knew what they had planned on doing. Dilandau cast a look at Folken, who only shook his head. Perhaps, this meeting of theirs was all part of Dornkirk's secret little scheme. To confront them and flaunt his victory in front of them. He had gotten what he had wanted and there was nothing they could do about it.

"I need her, Folken," said Dornkirk. "She's the answer to our dreams. We have strove so long for it. It is within our grasp. Don't throw this chance away."

"It is my dream no longer. I do not want a people coerced under one kingdom. I want them to live free as nature had intended. We have been creators of evil, Dornkirk. We created weapons that destroy. Fanelia has already fallen prey to our 'dreams'. It has been annihilated by machines that man has helped to build and nurture."

"Get over here, Hitomi," demanded Dilandau, feeling the tension between the two men.

"No, no, Dilandau," grinned Adelphos. "She stays right here. The Emperor's orders."

"You don't know what you're doing!"

"It doesn't matter. I can't go against the Emperor."

Dilandau's hand flew to the hilt of his sword but managed to stay it. However, he kept it there just in case Adelphos suddenly decided Dilandau was worth slaying. Dilandau blinked in surprise. He had an unnatural capability to control himself now. He couldn't remember a time when this was ever possible, or even thinkable. He almost wanted to slap himself to see if he was dreaming. Was this 'change'? What exactly was change anyway?

While he was in his own little world, Folken had disappeared. Dilandau looked around for him but found no trace. Dornkirk was gone as well. Where the hell did they go? He turned back to Hitomi only to find her gone as well. Adelphos was no where to be seen either.

"What the . . ." Dilandau furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. What the heck was going on?

He paced the huge chamber with long, quick strides, turning at every corner. He paused for a moment when he came upon a strange looking machine. There were tubes with wires going in all directions. The liquid inside the tubes bubbled, moving lethargically up and down the length. A long flat metallic table cut into the semicircle of mechanical equipment. Without another thought, he sent the tubes crashing to the ground. He knew what these were. He knew what they did. His vision went red with fury. He despised the machine and everything it stood for.

He had seen them so many times that if he were to close his eyes, their afterimage would still enrage him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that if he didn't find the others now it would be too late. He felt that something horrible was going to happen and it would be his fault if he wasn't there to prevent it. And so he went—ran, like a deer fleeting in the presence of a human. His youthful nimbleness allowed him to twist his body this way and that to avoid crashing into odd ledges and objects.

_Faster._

How big this room was he didn't know and didn't care. He had to find them now. He had wasted too much time destroying the machines. A quick, sharp sound reached his ears. He knew that sound too well. There was no mistaking it. It was the sound a blade made as it is being pulled from its sheath. Dilandau entered another chamber just in time to see Folken force out his great black wings. In his hand was held the Fanelian blessed sword. For a moment Dilandau couldn't move as he watched Folken soar up high, wings gracefully beating the air.

No! Dilandau was supposed to be the one who killed Dornkirk. He was supposed to do it for Folken. He climbed up the rumbling machine that supported the emperor's ancient body. This one was much larger than the one Dornkirk had been sitting on in the other room. How the hell did he get up there so fast? Shouldn't his body have snapped in half?

Folken was too fast. Too fast. Dilandau clenched his teeth and forced himself to climb faster. He was close enough now to hear what they were saying.

"Folken, my dear pupil, please don't do this. I am fated with fortune. You cannot win," said Dornkirk in a solemn, almost pleading voice.

Folken flew up higher. "I must try."

"Don't do this, Folken."

"You've left me no choice. Release Hitomi and I will back down."

"It isn't possible now. I am so close to achieving my—our dream. Please, Folken."

Folken's face was so sad that even Dilandau was affected by it. It struck him, struck his heart, his mind. He didn't realize how much he cared about Folken, who nurtured him and guided him. He was about to reach out and shout at Folken to put his sword away, but Folken had raised it already. Folken swiftly threw his sword like a spear. It cleanly found its mark, but something strange happened. It broke in half as if a hand snapped it. The broken sword turned so quickly that Folken didn't see it.

"No!" cried Dilandau, watching helplessly from his post.

"I am the victor, my dear Folken," Dornkirk said weakly.

"So am I," answered Folken just as faintly. His wings fluttered and then stopped flapping. And he fell.

Dilandau never saw anything as tragic as this in his whole life. Being experimented on didn't even compare, at least to him. It was like watching an angel fall from heaven into the blazing pits of hell. Folken hit the ground with a soft yet jarring plop. Dilandau jumped down and ran over.

Folken's eyes were closed, but there was a sad, serene smile on his lips. Dilandau ground his teeth, shaking with fury. He ran back up Dornkrik's machine, climbing faster now. He made it to the top and found the old man still breathing, yes breathing but barely.

"You bastard," growled Dilandau. He slammed Dornkirk against the back of the seat. Dornkirk groaned, wheezing. "I'll kill you."

His hand was trembling so much that he couldn't hold them steady. He slammed the heel of his palm into broken sword tip, driving it deeper into Dornkirk's chest. He felt his own blood oozing down the blade. He didn't care. He pushed harder. Dornkirk gave a final shudder and finally stopped breathing. Dilandau tossed his body aside. He was breathing so hard that he felt like he had asthma. Something wet fell on his hands. Was he crying?

He wiped his eyes. Yes, yes, he was. It felt great to cry but he was so ashamed. He fell back against the chair and wept and mourned the loss of someone so dear to him.

* * *


End file.
